THE  PRAYERS  OF  SIPAUL 


BS  2655  .P73  TA8  1914 
Thomas,  W.  H.  Griffith  1861 

192A. 
The  prayers  of  St.  Paul 


THE  SHORT  COURSE  SERIES 


THE  PRAYERS  OF   ST.  PAUL 


GENERAL     PREFACE 


The  title  of  the  present  series  is  a  sufficient 
indication  of  its  purpose.  Few  preachers, 
or  congregations,  will  face  the  long  courses 
of  expository  lectures  which  characterised 
the  preaching  of  the  past,  but  there  is  a 
growing  conviction  on  the  part  of  some 
that  an  occasional  short  course,  of  six  or 
eight  connected  studies  on  one  definite 
theme,  is  a  necessity  of  their  mental  and 
ministerial  life.  It  is  at  this  point  the  pro- 
jected series  would  strike  in.  It  would 
suggest  to  those  who  are  mapping  out  a 
scheme  of  work  for  the  future  a  variety  of 
subjects  which  might  possibly  be  utilised  in 
this  way. 

The  appeal,  however,  will  not  be  restricted 
to    ministers    or    preachers.      The    various 
volumes  will  meet  the  needs  of  laymen  and 
ii 


General  Preface 

Sabbath- school  teachers  who  are  interested 
in  a  scholarly  but  also  practical  exposition 
of  Bible  history  and  doctrine.  In  the  hands 
of  office-bearers  and  mission-workers  the 
"  Short  Course  Series  "  may  easily  become 
one  of  the  most  convenient  and  valuable 
of  Bible  helps. 

It  need  scarcely  be  added  that  while  an 
effort  has  been  made  to  secure,  as  far  as 
possible,  a  general  uniformity  in  the  scope 
and  character  of  the  series,  the  final  re- 
sponsibility for  the  special  interpretations 
and  opinions  introduced  into  the  separate 
volumes,  rests  entirely  with  the  individual 
contributors. 

A  detailed  list  of  the  authors  and  their 
subjects  will  be  found  at  the  close  of  each 
volume. 


ill 


Volumes  Already  Published 

A  Cry  for  Justice :  A  Study  in  Amos. 

By  Prof.  John  E.  McFadyen,  D.D. 

The  Beatitudes. 

By  Rev.  Robert  H.  Fisher,  D.D. 

The  Lenten  Psalms. 
By  the  Editor. 

The  Psalm  of  Psalms. 

By  Prof.  James  Stalker,  D.D. 

The  Song  and  the  Soil. 

By  Prof.  W.  G.  Jordan,  D.D. 

The  Higher  Powers  of  the  Soul. 

By  Rev.  George  M'Hardy,  D.D. 

Jehovah-Jesus. 

By  Rev.  Thomas  Whitelaw,  D.D. 

The  Sevenfold  /  Am 

By  Rev.  Thomas  Marjoribanks,  B.D. 

The  Man  Among  the  Myrtles. 
By  the  Editor. 

The  Story  of  Joseph. 

By  Rev.  Adam  C.  Welch,  B.D.,  Th.D. 

The  Divine  Drama  of  Job. 

By  Rev.  Ch.'^les  F.  Aked,  D.D, 

A  Mirror  of  the  Soul :   Studies  in  the  Psalter. 

By  Rev.  Canon  Vaughan,  M.A. 

In  the  Upper  Room. 

By  Rev.  D.  J.  BxmRiLL,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

The  Son  of  Man. 

By  Andrew  C.  Zenos,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

The  Joy  of  Finding. 

By  Rev.  Alfred  E.  Garvie. 

The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul. 

By  Rev.  W.  H.  Griffith  Thomas,  D.D. 


Price  6o  cents  net  per  Volume 


Ube  Sboft  gourse  Secies        f     g^p  ^g 

EDITED   BY  V        k,  .^jjv^ 

Rev.  JOHN  ADAMS,  B.D.  ^^^'/?5fGAL  Vt 

THE 
PRAYERS  OF  ST.  PAUL 

BY  THE 

Rev.  W.  H.  GRIFFITH  THOMAS,  D.D. 

PROFESSOR  OF  OLD  TESTAMENT  LITERATURE  AND  EXEGESIS 
WYCLIFFE  COLLEGE,   TORONTO 


NEW  YORK 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 

1914 


TO 

W.  G.  J 


CONTENTS 


PAGB 

I.  Grace  and  Holiness  ,  ,  .       i 

I  Thessalonians  iii.   II-13 

II.  Consecration  and  Preservation  .      15 

1  Thessalonians  v.  23,  24 

III.  Approbation  and  Blessing  .  .     27 

2  Thessalonians  i.   II,  12 

IV.  Love  and  Peace      .  .  .  -39 

2  Thessalonians  iii.  5,  R.V.  ;  2  Thessalonians 
iii.  16 

V.  Knowledge  and  Obedience         •  .55 

Colossians  i.  9-12 

VI.  Conflict  and  Comfort     •  •  .73 

Colossians  ii.   i,  2 

VII.  Wisdom  and  Revelation  .  •  .89 

Ephesians  i,  15-19 

VI 1 1.  Strength  and  Indwelling  •  .    109 

Ephesians  iii.   14-19 

IX.  Love  and  Discernment     •  •  .125 

Philippians  i.  9-11 

Appendix       .  .  •  •  .139 

Index  •  ._  .  ,  .143 

vii 


One  of  the  most  valuable  elements  in  the  Epistles  of 
St.  Paul  is  their  revelation  of  the  writer's  spiritual  life. 
While  they  are  necessarily  doctrinal  and  theological, 
dealing  with  the  fundamental  realities  of  the  Christian 
religion,  they  are  also  intensely  personal,  and  express 
very  much  of  the  Apostle's  own  experience.  They 
depict  in  a  marked  degree  the  sources  and  characteristics 
of  the  spiritual  life.  This  is  especially  seen  when  the 
various  prayers,  thanksgivings,  doxologies,  and  personal 
testimonies  are  considered. 


I 

GRACE  AND  HOLINESS. 


GRACE  AND  HOLINESS. 

"  Now  God  Himself  and  our  Father,  and  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  direct  our  way  unto  you.  And  the  Lord 
make  you  to  increase  and  abound  in  love  one  toward 
another,  and  toward  all  men,  even  as  we  do  toward  you : 
To  the  end  He  may  stablish  your  hearts  unblameable  in 
holiness  before  God,  even  our  Father,  at  the  coming  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  with  all  His  saints." — i  Thess. 
iii.  11-13. 

There  are  few  more  precious  subjects  for 
meditation  and  imitation  than  the  prayers 
and  intercessions  of  the  great  Apostle.  He 
was  a  man  of  action  because  he  was  first  and 
foremost  a  man  of  prayer.  To  him  both 
aspects  of  the  well-known  motto  were  true  : 
"  To  pray  is  to  labour,"  and  "  To  labour  is  to 

pray." 

There  is  no  argument  for  or  justification 
of  prayer ;  nor  even  an  explanation.     It  is 

3 


The  Prayers  of  St.  JEaul 

assumed  to  be  the  natural  and  inevitable 
expression  of  spiritual  life.  Most  of  the 
Apostle's  prayers  of  which  we  have  a  record 
are  concerned  with  other  people  rather  than 
with  himself,  and  they  thus  reveal  to  us  in- 
directly but  very  really  what  St.  Paul  felt  to 
be  the  predominant  needs  of  the  spiritual  life. 
In  this  series  of  studies  we  propose  to  look 
at  some  of  these  prayers,  and  to  consider  their 
direct  bearing  upon  our  own  lives.  Taking 
the  Epistles  in  what  is  generally  regarded  to 
be  their  chronological  order,  we  naturally 
commence  with  the  prayer  found  in  i  Thess. 
iii.  11-13.  In  this  passage  we  have  what 
is  not  often  found,  a  prayer  for  himself 
associated  with  prayer  for  others. 

I.  His  Prayer  for  Himself  (ver.  li). 

Let  us  notice  Who  it  is  to  Whom  he  'prays 
— "  God  Himself  and  our  Father,  and  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ."  The  association  of 
Christ  with  God  as  One  to  Whom  prayer  is 
addressed  is  of  course  very  familiar  to  us,  but 
it  ought  never  to  be  forgotten  that  when  the 
Apostle  penned  these  words  the  association 
4 


Grace  and  Holiness 

was  both  striking  and  significant.  For  con- 
sider :  these  words  were  written  within 
twenty-five  years  of  our  Lord's  earthly  life 
and  ascension,  and  yet  here  is  this  quiet  but 
clear  association  of  Him  with  the  Father, 
thus  testifying  in  a  very  remarkable  and  con- 
vincing way  to  His  Godhead  as  the  Hearer  of 
prayer.  And  this  fact  is  still  more  noticeable 
in  the  original,  for  St.  Paul  in  this  verse  breaks 
one  of  the  familiar  rules  of  grammar,  whether 
of  Greek  or  English.  It  is  well  known  that 
whenever  there  are  two  nouns  to  a  verb  the 
verb  must  be  in  the  plural ;  and  yet  here  the 
Greek  word  "  direct "  is  in  the  singular,  not- 
withstanding the  fact  that  there  are  two 
subjects,  the  Father  and  Christ.  The  same 
feature  is  to  be  found  in  2  Thess.  ii.  17.  It  is 
evident  from  this  what  St.  Paul  thought  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  it  is  in  such  simple, 
indirect  testimonies  that  we  find  the  strongest 
and  most  convincing  proofs  that  the  early 
Church  believed  in  the  Deity  of  our  Lord. 
Let  us  consider  what  it  is  for  which  he 
frays — "  Direct  our  way."  He  asks  for 
guidance.  There  had  been  certain  diffi- 
5 


The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul 

culties  in  the  way  of  his  return  to  Thessa- 
lonica.  He  had  been  hindered,  and  now  asks 
that  God  would  open  the  way  for  him  to  go 
back  to  his  beloved  friends.  Nothing  was 
outside  the  Apostle's  relationship  to  God, 
and  nothing  was  too  small  about  which  to 
pray  to  God.  As  it  has  been  well  said  : 
"  Nothing  is  so  small  that  we  do  not  honour 
God  by  asking  His  guidance  of  it,  or  insult 
Him  by  taking  it  out  of  His  hands."  The 
need  of  guidance  is  a  very  real  one  in  every 
Christian  life,  and  the  certainty  of  guidance 
is  just  as  real.  "  The  steps  of  a  good  man 
are  ordered  by  the  Lord  "  (Ps.  xxxvii.  23)  ; 
and  this  is  as  true  now  as  ever.  "  I  will 
guide  thee  with  Mine  eye  "  (Ps.  xxxii.  8)  is 
a  promise  for  all  time,  and  we  may  confidently 
seek  guidance  in  prayer  whenever  it  is  needed. 
The  answer  to  our  prayer  will  come  in  a 
threefold  way.  God  guides  us  by  His  Spirit, 
reigning  supreme  within  our  hearts.  He  also 
guides  us  by  the  counsels  and  principles  of 
His  Word.  These  two  agree  in  one,  for  the 
Holy  Spirit  never  guides  contrar}^  to  the 
Word.  And  then,  in  the  third  place,  He 
6 


Grace  and  Holiness 

guides  us  by  His  Providence,  so  that  when  the 
Word,  the  Spirit,  and  Providence  in  daily 
circumstances  agree  we  may  be  sure  that  the 
guidance  has  been  given. 

2.  His  Prayer  for  Others  (vers.  12,  13). 

Consider  the  immediate  request  he  makes 
— "  The  Lord  make  you  to  increase  and 
abound  in  love  one  toward  another,  and 
toward  all  men."  He  asks  for  love  on  their 
behalf,  that  God  would  grant  them  this 
greatest  of  all  gifts — "  the  very  bond  of 
peace  and  of  all  virtues,  without  which  who- 
soever liveth  is  counted  dead  before  Him." 
Love  in  the  New  Testament  is  no  mere 
sentiment,  for  it  involves  self-sacrifice.  It  is 
not  limited  to  emotion  ;  it  expresses  itself  in 
energy.  It  does  not  evaporate  in  feeling  ;  it 
expresses  itself  in  fact.  "  Love  is  of  God," 
for  "  God  is  love  "  ;  and  the  Apostle  in 
praying  this  prayer  asks  for  the  supreme  gift 
of  their  lives. 

The  measure  of  the  gift  is  noticeable — 
"  Increase  and  abound  in  love."  The  "  in- 
crease "  has  to  do  with  their  inner  life,  their 

7 


The  Prayers  of  St.   Paul 

hearts  being  more  and  more  enlarged  in 
capacity  to  possess  this  love  ;  the  "  abound- 
ing "  has  to  do  with  their  outward  life,  and 
points  to  the  overflow  of  that  love  towards 
others. 

Consider,  too,  the  objects  of  this  love — 
"  Toward  one  another,  and  toward  all  men." 
There  was,  first  of  all,  the  special  love  to  be 
shown  toward  Christians,  according  to  the 
"  new  commandment  "  (John  xiii.  34).  In 
the  New  Testament  the  emphasis  is  laid 
again  and  again  upon  brother-love,  or  love 
of  the  brethren,  and  the  brotherhood.  This 
was  something  entirely  new  in  the  world's 
history — a  new  tie  or  bond,  the  union  of 
hearts  in  Christ  Jesus.  To  see  how  these 
Christians  loved  one  another  was  a  proof  of 
this  new  affection  based  upon  the  new  com- 
mandment. But,  further,  their  love  was  to 
extend  beyond  their  fellow- Christians — even 
to  "  all  men,"  just  as  we  have  in  St.  Peter's 
Epistle,  in  that  long  chain  of  graces,  first, 
love  of  the  brethren,  and  then,  love  towards 
all  (2  Pet.  i.  7). 

And  yet  it  mav  perhaps  be  asked,  How  is  it 
8 


Grace  and  Holiness 

possible  for  us  to  love  everybody  ?  What 
about  those  who  are  not  lovely  and  lovable — 
hov^  can  v^e  love  these  ?  It  may  help  us  to 
remember  that  there  is  a  clear  distinction 
between  loving  and  liking.  While  it  is  im- 
possible to  like  everybody,  it  is  assuredly 
possible  to  love  everybody.  A  mother  loves 
her  wayward  son,  but  she  cannot  like  him, 
for  there  is  practically  nothing  "  alike " 
between  them.  In  the  same  way  we  may 
love  with  the  love  of  compassion  if  we  cannot 
love  with  the  love  of  complacency,  and  thus 
fulfil  our  Lord's  command  and  realise  the 
answer  to  the  Apostle's  prayers.  This,  we 
may  be  perfectly  certain,  is  the  supreme 
thing,  and  our  Christianity  will  count  for 
nothing  in  the  eyes  of  men  if  it  is  not  per- 
meated and  energised  through  and  through 
with  active,  whole  -  hearted,  Christ  -  like 
love. 

Consider  the  ultimate  purpose  he  expresses 
— "  To  the  end  He  may  stablish  your  hearts 
unblameable  in  holiness."  The  love  for 
which  he  prays  is  to  be  expressed  in  holiness. 
The  meaning  of  holiness  throughout  the  Old 

9 


The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul 

and  New  Testaments  is  *^  separateness." 
The  idea  is  that  of  a  life  separated  unto 
God,  dedicated,  consecrated  to  His  service. 
Wherever  the  words  "  holiness,"  "  sanctifi- 
cation,"  and  their  associated  and  cognate 
expressions  are  found,  the  root  idea  is  always 
that  of  separation  rather  than  of  purification. 
It  involves  the  whole-hearted  and  entire 
dedication  of  the  life  to  God.  The  cognate 
word  "  saint "  does  not  strictly  mean  "  one 
who  is  pure,"  but  "  one  who  belongs  to 
God." 

The  sphere  of  this  holiness  is  to  be  in  "  your 
hearts."  It  is  always  to  be  noticed  that  in 
Scripture  the  "  heart  "  includes  the  intellect, 
the  emotions,  and  the  will.  In  a  word,  it  is 
the  centre  of  our  moral  and  spiritual  being  ; 
and  when  this  is  understood  we  can  see  at 
once  the  point  and  importance  of  the  heart 
being  holy,  for  it  is  only  another  way  of  saying 
that  our  entire  being  is  to  be  separated  from 
all  else  in  order  to  be  possessed  by,  and  con- 
secrated to,  God. 

The  standard  of  holiness  is  also  brought 
before    us    in    this   prayer — *'  Stablish    your 

10 


Grace  and  Holiness 

hearts  unblameable  in  holiness."  The 
Apostle  prays  that  they  may  be  steadfast,  not 
weak  and  vacillating.  The  great  need  was 
for  solidity  and  steadfastness,  as  it  is  in  the 
present  day,  for  it  is  only  when  the  heart  is 
established  by  grace  and  in  holiness  that  it 
can  in  any  true  sense  serve  God.  This  em- 
phasis on  a  fixed  or  stablished  heart  is  brought 
before  us  several  times  in  Holy  Scripture 
(cf.  Ps.  Ivii.  7,  cviii.  i,  cxii.  7;  Heb. 
xiii.  9). 

And  steadfast  hearts  will  be  "  unblame- 
able" hearts,  hearts  that  are  not  blame- 
worthy. A  clear  distinction  is  to  be  drawn 
between  unblameable  hearts  and  unblemished 
hearts.  A  little  child  may  perform  a  task 
which  in  the  result  is  full  of  blemishes, 
though  the  child,  having  done  his  best,  is 
entirely  without  blame.  In  like  manner, 
though  the  believer  is  not  free  from  blemish, 
it  is  nevertheless  possible  for  him  to  live  free 
from  blame.  This  is  the  meaning  of  the 
Apostle,  and  the  reason  of  his  prayer. 

In  all  this  we  can  see  the  close  connection 
between  love  and  holiness.  When  our  hearts 
II 


The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul 

are  filled  to  overflowing  with  the  love  of 
God  to  us,  and  of  our  love  to  Him,  the  inevi- 
table result  is  holiness,  a  heart  separated  unto 
God,  "  strengthened  with  all  might,"  and 
"  ready  unto  every  good  work." 

Consider  the  great  incentive  he  urges — 
"  Before  God,  even  our  Father,  at  the  coming 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  with  all  His  saints." 
The  Apostle  puts  before  his  readers  the  great 
future  to  which  they  were  to  look,  and  he 
urges  upon  them  this  love  and  this  holiness 
in  the  light  of  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  all  that  it  will  mean  to  the 
people  of  God.  St.  Paul  draws  a  wonderful 
picture  of  that  day  in  a  very  few  words.  He 
speaks  first  of  all  of  God's  presence  there  : 
"  Before  God,  even  our  Father."  Then  he 
reminds  us  of  the  presence  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  And  last  of  all  he  tells  us  that  "  the 
saints  "  will  be  there  also.  Thus,  surrounded 
by  our  fellow- Christians,  and  in  the  presence 
of  our  God  and  Saviour,  we  shall  see  as  we 
are  seen,  and  know  as  we  are  knovm,  with 
hearts  "  unblameable  in  holiness." 

This,  then,  is  what  the  Apostle  prays  for 
12 


Grace  and  Holiness 

his  beloved  friends  in  Thessalonica — abound- 
ing love  and  perfect  holiness.  This  is  Chris- 
tianity and  the  normal  Christian  life.  How 
simple  it  all  is,  summed  up  in  the  words  Love 
and  Holiness.  And  yet  how  searching  it  is  ! 
The  simplest  things  are  often  the  most 
difficult,  and  while  it  is  possible  for  the  be- 
liever to  do  great  things  and  to  shine  in  great 
crises,  it  is  not  always  so  easy  to  go  on  loving 
day  by  day,  and  to  continue  growing  in  grace 
and  holiness,  until  the  heart  becomes  so 
stablished  in  grace  that  our  Christianity 
becomes  the  permanent  character  of  our  life. 
Yet  this  is  God's  purpose  for  each  one  of  us. 
And  the  fact  that  the  Apostle  prayed  for 
this  is  a  clear  proof  that  an  answer  was 
expected,  and  that  the  purpose  can  be 
realised. 


13 


II. 

CONSECRATION  AND  PRESERVATION. 


II. 

CONSECRATION  AND 
PRESERVATION. 

**And  the  very  God  of  peace  sanctify  you  wholly: 
and  I  pray  God  your  whole  spirit  and  soul  and  body  be 
preserved  blameless  unto  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  Faithful  is  He  that  calleth  you,  Who  also  will 
do  it." — I  Thess.  v.  23,  24. 

As  we  consider  these  prayers  of  the  Apostle, 
we  become  increasingly  aware  of  what  he 
felt  to  be  the  most  important  elements  in  the 
Christian  life.  The  prayers  all  have  reference 
to  Christian  living,  and  whether  we  think  of 
the  character  of  the  life  portrayed,  or  the 
standard  held  up  in  them,  we  can  readily  see 
their  intense  practical  value  for  daily  living. 
We  may  be  pretty  sure  that  those  things 
for  which  he  prayed  on  behalf  of  his 
converts   were   the   things  he   regarded    as 

17 


The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul 

most    essential  in   Christian   character   and 
conduct. 

The  prayer  that  now  calls  for  consideration 
is  that  found  in  i  Thess.  v.  23,  24. 

I.  The  Petition. 

He  prays  for  their  sanctifi cation — "  Sanctify 
you  wholly."  As  already  noted,  the  root  idea 
of  sanctification,  and  of  its  cognate  expres- 
sions, "  holiness,"  "  holy,"  and  the  like,  is 
separation.  We  see  this  very  clearly  in  con- 
nection with  buildings  or  things  which  are  said 
to  be  "  holy  "  or  "  sanctified."  It  is  obvious 
that  no  thought  of  purification  is  applicable 
to  buildings  and  inanimate  objects.  We  must, 
therefore,  understand  sanctification  in  this 
case  as  equivalent  to  consecration.  This  is 
also  the  root-meaning  of  the  word  "  sanctify  " 
in  relation  to  persons,  and  it  may  be 
questioned  whether  the  word,  as  used  in  the 
original,  ever  really  includes  in  it  the  idea  of 
purification  ;  the  latter  thought  has  another 
set  of  words  altogether.  The  Apostle  there- 
fore prays  that  they  may  be  consecrated,  set 
apart  from  all  else,  for  the  possession  and 
18 


Consecration  and  Preservation 

service  of  God.  This  meaning  may  be 
aptly  illustrated  from  our  Lord's  words 
about  Himself :  "  For  their  sakes  I 
consecrate  Myself,  that  they  also  may  be 
consecrated  through  the  truth "  (John 
xvii.  19). 

The  extent  of  this  consecration  is  very 
noteworthy — "  Sanctify  you  wholly."  The 
word  rendered  "  wholly  "  is  used  in  con- 
nection with  the  Old  Testament  sacrifices  in 
the  Septuagint,  and  implies  the  entire  and 
complete  separation  of  the  offering  for  the 
purpose  intended.  The  Christian  life  must 
be  wholly,  entirely,  and  unreservedly  con- 
secrated to  God,  no  part  being  reserved  or 
held  back,  but  everything  handed  over  and 
regarded  as  permanently  and  completely 
belonging  to  Him. 

He  prays  for  their  preservation — "  Pre- 
served blameless."  The  consecration  is  to 
be  maintained  in  continual  preservation,  in 
and  for  God.  The  consecration  as  an  act  is 
to  be  deepened  into  an  attitude,  so  that,  day 
by  day,  and  hour  by  hour,  the  separated 
life  may  be  maintained,   and   preserved  in 

19 


The  Prayers  of  St.   Paul 

readiness    for    every   call    that    God    may 
make. 

The  extent  of  this  preservation  is  also  ob- 
servable— "  Your  whole  spirit  and  soul  and 
body."  The  spirit  is  that  inmost  part  of 
our  life  which  is  related  to  God.  The  soul  is 
the  inner  life  regarded  in  itself,  as  the  seat 
and  sphere  of  intellect,  heart,  and  will.  The 
body  is  the  outward  vehicle  and  expression  of 
the  soul  and  spirit  through  which  we  are 
enabled  to  serve  God.  The  order  of  these 
three  should  be  observed.  It  is  not,  as  we 
often  say,  and  sing  in  certain  hymns,  "  body, 
soul,  and  spirit,"  but  the  very  reverse — ■ 
"  spirit,  soul,  and  body."  The  Apostle 
starts  from  within  and  works  outward,  there- 
by reminding  us  that  if  the  spirit  or  deepest 
part  of  our  nature  is  wholly  surrendered  to 
God,  this  fact  will  express  itself  in  every  part 
of  our  nature,  and  we  shall  be  consecrated 
wholly.  What  a  searching  requirement  this 
is,  and  what  a  solemnity  and  responsibility  it 
gives  to  life  !  Whether  in  relation  to  God,  or 
in  relation  to  man,  whether  for  worship  or 
work,  character  or  conduct,  prayer  or  prac- 
20 


Consecration   and  Preservation 

tice,  we  are  to  be  wholly  consecrated,  and 
continually  kept  for  the  Master's  use — 

"That  all  my  powers  with  all  their  might, 
In  Thy  sole  glory  may  unite." 

2.  The  Pre-Requisite. 

"The  God  of  Peace  Himself."  The 
Divine  title  associated  with  this  prayer  as  its 
definite  presupposition  and  pre-requisite  is 
very  significant,  as,  indeed,  is  every  title  of 
God.  There  is  always  some  special  point  of 
direct  connection  between  the  way  in  which 
God  is  addressed  and  the  prayer  that  follows. 
In  the  present  instance  the  prayer  for  con- 
secration and  preservation  is  addressed  to 
"  The  God  of  Peace  Himself." 

The  Apostle  lays  special  stress  upon  the 
fact  that  it  is  God  ''  Himself  "  Who  con- 
secrates and  keeps  us.  As  with  salvation,  so 
with  consecration — it  is  and  must  be  Divine. 
The  work  is  entirely  beyond  any  mere  human 
power,  and  while  there  is  a  truth  in  our  fre- 
quent reference  to  consecration  as  something 
that  we  ourselves  have  to  effect,  it  is  far  more 
scriptural,  and,  therefore,  much  more  helpful, 
21 


The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul 

to  endeavour  to  limit  the  idea  of  consecration 
to  the  Divine  side,  and  to  think  of  it  as  an 
act  of  God,  to  w^hich  the  corresponding 
human  act  and  attitude  is  that  of  dedication. 
It  is  God  Himself  Who  separates  us,  marks  us 
off  as  His  own,  and  designates  us  for  His  use 
and  service.  It  is  God  Himself,  and  no  one 
else,  for  we  are  here  brought  into  personal 
and  blessed  association  with  the  Divine  power 
and  grace.  , 

Further,  God  is  described  as  "  The  God  of 
Peace,"  and  we  naturally  ask  what  it  means, 
and  why  peace  is  thus  associated  with  con- 
secration and  preservation.  This  title,  "  The 
God  of  Peace,"  is  found  very  frequently  in 
the  writings  of  St.  Paul,  and  it  deserves  care- 
ful consideration  in  each  passage.  There  is 
a  twofold  peace  in  Scripture,  sometimes  de- 
scribed as  "  peace  with  God  "  (Rom.  v.  i), 
at  others  as  "  the  peace  of  God  "  (Phil.  iv. 
7)  ;  and  they  both  have  their  source  in  the 
"  God  of  Peace  "  (Phil.  iv.  9).  Peace  is  the 
result  of  reconciliation  with  God.  Our  Lord 
made  peace  by  the  Blood  of  His  Cross  (Col.  i. 
20),  and  the  acceptance  of  His  atoning  sacri- 
22 


Consecration  and  Preservation 

fice  through  faith  brings  peace  to  the  soul. 
This  consciousness  of  reconciliation  in  turn 
causes  a  blessed  sense  of  restfulness  and  peace 
to  spring  up  in  the  heart,  and  thus  we  have 
the  peace  of  God  within  us. 

The  connection  between  peace  and  holiness 
is  close  and  essential.  It  is  impossible  for 
anyone  to  understand  consecration  until 
they  have  experienced  reconciliation.  Holi- 
ness must  be  based  on  righteousness,  and 
righteousness  is  only  possible  to  those  who 
have  accepted  the  Lord  Jesus  as  God's 
righteousness  through  faith.  So  long  as 
there  is  any  enmity  in  the  heart,  or  even  any 
uncertainty  as  to  our  acceptance  in  Christ 
Jesus,  holiness  is  an  impossibility.  May  not 
the  forgetfulness  of  this  fact  be  the  cause  of 
surprise  and  disappointment  at  Christian 
Conventions  from  time  to  time  ?  May  it 
not  be  that  many  go  to  such  gatherings 
longing  to  be  made  holy  who  have  not  settled 
this  question  of  their  standing  before  God 
and  their  peace  as  the  result  of  acceptance  of 
Christ's  atonement  ?  To  understand  and 
experience  what  holiness  means  before  enjoy- 
23 


The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul 

ing  peace  with  God  is  like  trying  to  take  a 
second  step  before  attempting  the  first. 
Only  through  peace  can  holiness  come,  and 
only  as  we  have  blessed  personal  experience  of 
God  as  the  God  of  peace  can  a  prayer  like 
this  be  answered. 

3.  The  Prospect. 

"  Unto  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ."  Once  again  the  Apostle  prays  with 
special  reference  to  that  glorious  day  to 
which  he  was  always  looking  and  pointing  his 
readers.  As  he  looks  forward  to  that  day  he 
uses  again  a  favourite  word,  "  blameless," 
and  suggests  to  us  the  great  and  wonderful 
possibility  of  being  so  consecrated  and  pre- 
served that  we  may  lead  a  blameless  life  day 
by  day  until  the  coming  of  our  Lord.  Holi- 
ness is  thus  associated  once  again  with  the 
great  future.  The  Apostle  finds  in  the 
coming  of  the  Lord  one  of  the  most  potent 
reasons  why  Christians  should  be  consecrated 
and  preserved.  This  close  and  intimate 
connection  between  holiness,  and  what  we 
term  the  Second  Advent,  needs  much 
24 


Consecration  and  Preservation 

stronger  emphasis  in  daily  living  and  in 
church  teaching  than  it  often  has  in  the 
present  day.  There  is,  in  its  way,  nothing 
more  powerful  as  a  reason  for  holiness  than 
the  thought  of  the  certainty  and  imminence 
of  the  Lord's  coming. 

4.  The  Promise. 

"  Faithful  is  He  that  calleth  you,  Who 
also  will  do  it."  Lest  we  should  be  tempted 
to  think  that  so  wonderful  a  prayer  could  not 
be  fulfilled  in  daily  experience,  the  Apostle 
adds  this  blessed  assurance  that  God,  Who 
puts  this  ideal  before  us,  will  enable  us  to 
realise  it.  The  promise  is  undoubted — 
"  Who  also  will  do  it."  What  He  has  pro- 
mised He  is  also  able  to  perform.  If  only 
our  hearts  are  right  with  Him,  and  are 
willing  to  say,  "  Yea,  let  Him  take  all,"  God 
will,  indeed,  consecrate  and  preserve  us 
blameless  unto  the  end.  The  guarantee  of 
this  lies  in  His  Divine  faithfulness.  "  Faith- 
ful is  He  that  calleth  you."  We  are  touching 
the  bed-rock  of  Divine  revelation  when  we 
contemplate  the  faithfulness  of  God.  This 
25 


The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul 

phrase  is  often  found  in  the  New  Testament : 
"  God  is  faithful."  "  The  Lord  is  faithful." 
"Faithful  is  He."  "This  is  a  faithful 
saying."  If  our  hearts  will  only  rest  upon 
this  we  shall  find  in  it,  not  only  the  most 
exquisite  joy  and  assured  peace,  but  also  the 
ground  of  our  perfect  confidence  that  He 
will  accomplish  His  purposes  in  us,  and  glorify 
Himself  in  our  lives. 

It  is  well  and  necessary  from  time  to  time 
to  look  at  holiness  from  the  human  point  of 
view,  and  to  see  our  duty  and  responsibility  ; 
but  it  is  equally  essential  and  important  that 
we  should  also  dwell  upon  holiness,  as  in  the 
passage  before  us,  from  the  Divine  standpoint, 
and  keep  well  in  view  the  glorious  realities  of 
God's  faithfulness,  God's  power,  God's  grace. 
To  be  occupied  unduly  with  self  in  the  matter 
of  holiness  is  to  become  self-centred,  morbid, 
fearful,  and  weak  ;  to  be  occupied  with  God 
is  to  be  restful,  quiet,  strong,  confident,  and 
ever  growing  in  grace. 


26 


III. 

APPROBATION  AND  BLESSING. 


III. 

APPROBATION  AND  BLESSING. 

"  Wherefore  also  we  pray  always  for  you,  that  our  God 
would  count  you  worthy  of  this  calling,  and  fulfil  all  the 
good  pleasure  of  His  goodness,  and  the  work  of  faith 
with  power :  that  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
may  be  glorified  in  you,  and  ye  in  Him,  according  to 
the  grace  of  our  God  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ." — 
2  Thess.  i.  II,  12. 

Two  words  sum  up  the  Christian  life — 
Grace  and  Glory  ;  and  both  are  associated 
with  the  two  Comings  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  :  Grace  particularly  with  the  first 
Coming,  and  Glory  especially  with  the  second. 
This  twofold  aspect  of  Christianity  comes 
before  us  in  the  prayer  of  the  Apostle  which 
we  now  have  to  consider. 

I.  The  Reason  of  the  Prayer. 

This  thought  is  brought  before  us  very 
clearly  in  the  Revised  Version  ;   "  To  which 
29 


The  Prayers  of  St.   Paul 

end  we  also  fray.''^  In  the  Authorised 
Version  it  is  :  "  Wherefore  also  we  fray^ 
Following  the  original,  the  R.V.  refers 
definitely  to  what  has  preceded.  The  whole 
context  is  a  reason  for  the  prayer  which  now 
follows. 

The  Triumphant  Future  is  part  of  the 
reason  of  his  prayer.  "  When  He  shall  come 
to  be  glorified  in  His  saints,  and  to  be  mar- 
velled at  in  all  them  that  believe  in  that  day." 
The  Apostle  looks  forward  to  "  the  crowning 
day  "  that  is  coming,  and  bases  upon  this 
glorious  hope  the  prayer  that  follows. 

The  Testing  Present  is  another  part  of  the 
reason  for  this  prayer.  The  Church  of 
Thessalonica  was  suffering  persecutions  and 
afflictions,  and  was  passing  through  the  fire 
of  testing  (vers.  4-7)  ;  and  it  was  this  fact — 
their  then-existing  severe  experiences — that 
prompted  the  Apostle  to  pray  for  them,  as 
well  as  to  express  the  hope  concerning  their 
deliverance  from  the  furnace  of  affliction. 

Thus  present  and  future  are  blended  in 
his  thought,  and  form  the  ground  or  reason 
of  his  intercession. 

30 


Approbation  and  Blessing 

2.  The  Nature  of  the  Prayer. 

Two  elements  sum  up  this  beautiful 
prayer. 

He  asks  for  the  Divine  Affroval  on  their 
life  :  "  That  God  may  count  you  worthy 
of  your  calling."  God's  "  calling  "  is  His 
summons  into  His  kingdom.  The  kingdom 
may  be  regarded  both  as  present  and  future. 
In  the  Gospels  it  would  seem  as  though  the 
"  calling  "  were  limited  to  His  invitation  or 
appeal,  while  in  the  Epistles  it  appears  to 
include  the  believer's  response  to  the  call. 
For  this  reason  it  is  sometimes  spoken  of  as 
God's  "  calling,"  and  at  others,  as  in  this 
case,  as  "your  calling."  The  thought  of  a 
Divine  calling  responded  to  by  the  believer 
is  prominent  in  the  teaching  of  St.  Paul,  and 
should  be  carefully  studied.  Even  in  these 
Epistles  to  the  Thessalonians,  the  idea  is 
frequently  found  (i  Thess.  ii.  12,  iv.  7, 
V.  24  ;   2  Thess.  ii.  14). 

"  Count  you  worthy  "  is  a  notable  phrase 
repeated  from  verse  5  :  "'  Counted  worthy 
of  the  kingdom  of  God."  Seven  times  this 
31 


The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul 

verb  is  used  by  St.  Paul.  As  we  ponder  it  we 
catch  something  of  the  wondrous  gloiy  of 
our  life  as  contemplated  by  the  King  of 
Kings.  Surely,  it  may  be  said,  the  believer 
can  never  be  "  worthy  "  ;  and  this  is  true  if 
he  is  considered  in  himself.  But  just  as  it  is 
with  justification,  which  means  "  accounted 
just,"  so  with  sanctification — by  the  un- 
speakable grace  of  God  we  are  actually 
"  counted  worthy.''  Hooker's  well-knovm 
words  about  justification  may  be  quoted  in 
this  connection  as  illustrating  the  thought  of 
worthiness  in  sanctification.  "  God  doth 
justify  the  believing  man,  yet  not  for  the 
worthiness  of  his  belief,  but  for  His  worthi- 
ness Who  is  believed."  So  we  may  say,  God 
doth  count  the  believing  man  worthy,  yet 
not  for  any  personal  worthiness,  but  for  the 
worthiness  which  is  wrought  by  grace.  We 
must,  however,  not  fail  to  notice  that  the 
believer  is  responsible  for  his  use  of  grace, 
and  that  the  very  thought  of  God  counting 
us  worthy  has  included  in  it  the  thought  of 
scrutiny  with  a  view  to  decision. 

He  seeks  the  Divine  Blessing  on  their  life  : 
32 


Approbation  and  Blessing 

"  And  fulfil  every  desire  of  goodness  and 
everv  work  of  faith  with  power."  This, 
which  is  the  rendering  of  the  R.V.,  seems, 
on  the  whole,  the  more  intelligible  and 
appropriate.  It  means,  "  all  that  goodness 
can  desire,  and  all  that  faith  can  effect." 
It  blends  together  the  two  ideas  of  aspiration 
and  activity — the  aspiration  of  goodness  and 
the  activity  of  trust — and  it  prays  that  God 
would  fulfil  loith  power ^  or  powerfully,  every 
aspiration  that  comes  from  goodness,  and 
every  activity  that  springs  from  faith.  Just 
as  in  the  familiar  words  of  the  Collect  for 
Easter  Day,  God  first  puts  into  "  our  minds 
good  desires,"  and  then  by  His  "  continual 
help  "  we  are  enabled  to  "  bring  the  same  to 
good  effect."  By  "  His  holy  inspiration  we 
think  those  things  that  are  good,  and  by  His 
merciful  guiding  we  perform  the  same." 

3.  The  Consequences  of  the  Prayer. 

Notice  the  twofold  consequence  here 
stated. 

He  expects  that  God,  will  he  glorified  in  us. 
Glory  in  the  New  Testament,  and,  indeed,  in 
33 


The  Prayers  of  St.   Paul 

the  whole  Bible,  is  the  outshining  of  splen- 
dour, and  the  Apostle  seeks  in  answer  to 
prayer  that  Christ  may  reveal  in  our  lives 
the  glory  of  His  grace.  This  includes  both 
our  present  and  future  lives.  Christ  is  to 
be  manifested  by  and  glorified  in  us  here,  and 
He  will  be  manifested  by  and  glorified  in  us 
hereafter  (ver.  lo).  What  an  unspeakable 
privilege  and  what  a  profound  responsibility 
lie  in  this  simple  fact  that  Christ  is  to  shine 
forth  from  our  lives,  and  that  men  around  us 
are  to  see  something  of  Christ  as  they  associate 
with  us.  One  of  the  most  beautiful  testi- 
monies ever  given  to  a  Christian  was  that  of  a 
poor  dying  outcast  girl  to  a  lady  who  had 
befriended  her  :  "  I  have  not  found  it  hard 
to  think  about  God  since  I  knew  you." 

He  also  expects  that  we  shall  he  glorified 
in  Christ.  This  is,  in  a  way,  more  wonderful 
still.  There  is  to  be  a  reciprocal  glory  ;  and, 
actually,  marvellous  though  it  seems,  we  are 
to  have  our  share  of  glory  in  Christ.  This, 
again,  has  its  application  to  the  present,  as 
well  as  to  the  future,  for  every  life  that  is 
loyal  to  Christ  is  glorified  in  union  and  com- 
34 


Approbation  and   Blessing 

munion  with  Him.  And  in  the  great  future 
it  will  be  seen  and  known  on  every  hand  who 
have  been  faithful  to  their  Lord  and  Master. 
"  Then  shall  the  righteous  shine  forth  as 
stars  in  the  kingdom  of  their  Father." 

4.  The  Guarantee  of  the  Prayer. 

The  Apostle  scarcely  ever  prayed  without 
reminding  himself  and  his  readers  of  the 
secret  whereby  prayer  is  answered.  Ac- 
cordingly he  closes  this  prayer  with  a  re- 
minder that  the  guarantee  of  its  fulfilment 
is  the  grace  of  God  — "  According  to  the 
grace  of  our  God  and  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ." 

God  is  the  Source  of  all  grace.  How 
lovingly  the  Apostle  speaks  of  "  our  God  " 
and  "  our  Lord  Jesus "  in  this  verse  ! 
Elsewhere  in  his  Epistles  we  also  find  this 
appropriating  phrase,  "  Our  God  "  (i  Thess. 
ii.  2,  iii.  9;  I  Cor.  vi.  11).  As  in  the  still 
more  personal  phrase,  "  My  God,"  which 
we  find  about  seven  times  in  his  writings,  St. 
Paul  expresses  his  consciousness  of  personal 
possession  and  the  blessed  reality  of  fellow- 
35 


The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul 

ship  with  God.  "  This  God  is  our  God,"  as 
the  Psalmist  says. 

Christ  is  the  Channel  of  grace.  The  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  being  associated  with  God  in 
this  connection  is  a  reminder  that  it  is  "  the 
grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  "  as  much  as 
the  grace  of  our  God.  He  mediates  grace  to 
us,  and  through  faith  in  Christ  we  are  linked 
to  God  as  the  "  God  of  all  grace." 

What  a  cheer  and  inspiration  it  is  to  have 
the  assurance  and  guarantee  that  even  a 
prayer  like  this,  with  its  high  standard  and 
far-reaching  possibilities,  can  and  will  be 
answered.  Christianity  provides  not  only 
an  appeal,  but  a  dynamic.  He  Who  bids, 
enables ;  He  Who  calls,  provides.  The 
Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  is  at  once  a  precept, 
a  promise,  a  provision,  and  a  power.  The 
religions  of  the  world  often  tell  us  to  "  Be 
good,"  but  it  is  left  for  Christianity  to  pro- 
claim that  "  He  died  to  make  us  good.'^^  As 
a  result,  the  Christian  can  say  with  Augustine : 
"  Give  what  Thou  commandest  and  then 
command  what  Thou  wilt."  That  is : 
"  Only  give  me  the   spiritual    power,   and 

36 


Approbation  and   Blessing 

then  I  can  do  anything  that  Thou  requirest 
of  me."  As  the  Psalmist  cried  :  "  I  will  run 
in  the  path  of  Thy  commandments,  when 
Thou  hast  set  my  heart  at  liberty." 

Thus  the  Christian  life  is  at  once  a  life  of 
Grace  and  a  life  of  Glory.  "  First  Grace, 
then  Glory."  "No  Grace,  no  Glory." 
"  More  Grace,  more  Glory."  "  If  Grace, 
then  Glory." 

"  Grace,  *tls  a  charming  sound, 
Harmonious  to  the  ear; 
Heaven  with  the  echo  shall  resound, 
And  all  the  earth  shall  hear.'* 


37 


IV. 
LOVE  AND  PEACE. 


IV. 

LOVE  AND  PEACE. 

"  The  Lord  direct  your  hearts  into  the  love  of  God, 
and  into  the  patience  of  Christ." — 2  Thess.  iii.  5,  R.  V. 

<*  The  Lord  of  peace  Himself  give  you  peace  always 
by  all  means." — 2  Thess.  iii.  16. 

It  is  striking  to  note  the  number  of  prayers 
in  these  two  short  Epistles  to  Thessalonica. 
They  are  probably  the  earliest  of  the  Apostle's 
writings,  and  the  frequency  of  his  prayers  is  a 
significant  testimony  to  his  thought  for  his 
converts  and  their  needs. 

Hardly  less  striking  is  the  variety  of  the 
prayers,  of  which  we  have  already  had  several 
proofs.  There  are  still  two  prayers  to  be 
considered  in  the  second  Epistle,  very  terse 
petitions,  yet  full  of  suggestiveness  and  im- 
portance. It  will  be  convenient  to  consider 
these  two  together,  not  only  because  of  their 
41 


The  Prayers  of  St.   Paul 

brevity,   but   also  because   of  the  spiritual 
connection  between  them. 

I.  The  Goal. 

The  context  of  the  prayer  is  noteworthy. 
The  Apostle  had  been  asking  for  their  prayers, 
more  particularly  for  deliverance  from  evil 
men.  Then  comes  the  strong  assurance  that 
God  in  His  faithfulness  would  keep  them  from 
evil,  together  with  the  expression  of  his  own 
personal  confidence  concerning  them  that 
they  would  be  faithful  to  his  counsels  and 
commands.  And  then  follows  the  prayer  of 
our  text  in  which  he  asks  that  their  hearts 
may  be  directed  to  that  Divine  goal  which 
is,  and  ever  must  be,  the  true  home  of  the 
soul. 

"  Tour  hearts.^^  Once  again  does  the 
Apostle  lay  stress  on  this  central  reality  of 
their  spiritual  and  moral  being.  The  heart 
is  the  citadel  of  the  life,  and  the  usage  of  the 
term  in  the  Word  of  God  must  ever  be  kept 
clearly  before  us.  It  includes,  as  we  have 
already  seen,  intellectual,  emotional,  and 
volitional  elements.  There  is  no  such  con- 
42 


Love  and  Peace 

trast  in  the  New  Testament  between  "  the 
head  "  and  "  the  heart  "  as  we  are  now  often 
accustomed  to  make,  for  intellect,  feelings, 
and  will  are  all  comprised  in  the  Biblical 
meaning.  If,  therefore,  the  heart  is  right, 
all  else  will  be  right  It  was  for  this  reason 
that  Solomon  gave  the  counsel  to  keep  the 
heart  "  above  all  keeping,"  since  "  out  of  it 
are  the  issues  of  life." 

"  Into  the  love  of  God.^^  The  phrase 
seems  to  suggest  the  direction  of  the  heart 
towards  a  goal — "  Into  the  love."  This 
must  mean  first  and  foremost  the  love  of 
God  to  us,  for  this  is  the  true  goal  and  home 
of  the  soul.  Home  is  at  once  a  protection,  a 
fellowship,  and  a  J07.  "  There's  no  place  like 
home  ;  "  and  there  is  no  place  like  the  love 
of  God  as  a  home  for  the  soul.  In  that  love 
we  find  constant  protection,  for  all  the  refuge 
and  safety  of  a  true  home  are  experienced 
there.  In  that  love  we  find  the  fullest, 
truest  fellowship,  for  "  truly  our  fellowship  is 
with  the  Father,  and  with  His  Son  Jesus 
Christ  "  ;  and  we  know  also  "  the  fellowship 
of  the  Holy  Ghost."  Not  least  of  all,  in 
43 


The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul 

this  home  of  the  soul,  is  perfect  and  per- 
manent satisfaction.  Just  as  when  the  door 
closes  upon  us  and  we  know  that  we  are 
within  the  privacy,  comfort,  cheer,  and 
fellowship  of  home,  we  find  blessed  restfulness 
and  satisfaction,  so  when  the  soul  enters  the 
home  of  God's  love  it  soon  realises  the  fulness 
of  satisfaction,  for  it  is  "  satisfied  with  favour, 
full  with  the  blessing  of  the  Lord."  Love 
that  is  deep,  unfathomable,  constant,  pure, 
unchanging,  Divine,  is  our  everlasting  home. 
It  is  recorded  that  Spurgeon  once  saw  a 
weathercock  with  the  words  on  it,  "  God  is 
love."  On  remarking  to  the  owner  that  it 
was  very  inappropriate,  since  God's  love  did 
not  change  like  a  weathercock,  he  received 
the  reply  that  the  real  meaning  was,  "  God 
is  love  whichever  way  the  wind  blows." 
This  is  the  experience  of  the  believer. 
Whatever  comes,  wherever  he  is,  he  knows 
that  "  God  is  love." 

It  is  possible,  perhaps  probable,  that  this 
phrase,  "  the  love  of  God,"  may  also  include 
our  love  to  God.  At  any  rate,  in  several 
passages  it  is  almost  impossible  to  make  a 

44 


Love  and  Peace 

rigid  distinction  between  the  two  ideas  (cf. 
Rom.  V.  5).  The  one  is  the  source  of  the 
other,  and  "  we  love  Him  because  He  first 
loved  us."  Love  from  God  begets  love  to 
God,  and  when  once  the  soul  has  entered 
into  God's  love  as  its  goal  and  home,  love  at 
once  begins  to  be  the  spring,  the  strength, 
the  sustenance,  and  the  satisfaction  of  its 
life. 

''Into  the  'patience  of  Christ:^  The 
Authorised  Version  has  somewhat  misread 
this  verse  hy  translating  it  "  into  the  patient 
waiting  for  Christ,"  which  would  need 
another  expression  in  the  Greek.  It  really 
refers  to  active,  persistent,  steady  endurance 
rather  than  to  patient  waiting.  It  refers  to 
present  patience,  not  to  a  future  prospect. 
The  patience  of  Christ  must  mean  the  active 
endurance  which  is  like  His,  the  endurance  of 
which  He  is  the  pattern.  How  marvellously 
He  "  endured  the  contradiction  of  sinners 
against  Himself " !  How  striking  is  the 
statement  that  "  He  set  His  face  steadfastly 
to  go  to  Jerusalem  "  !  Whether  in  suffering 
or  in  service,  our  Lord  "  endured  as  seeing 
45 


The  Prayers  of  St.   Paul 

Him  who  is  invisible  "  ;  and  having  endured 
to  the  end,  He  became  our  Saviour. 

But  "  the  patience  of  Christ  "  is  also  the 
endurance  which  comes  from  Him.  He  is 
not  only  our  pattern,  but  also  our  power, 
since  He  enables  us  to  endure  with  a  like 
endurance  to  His  own.  As  the  Apostle  says 
elsewhere  :  "  I  have  power  for  all  things  in 
Him  who  is  empowering  me."  To  have  a 
pattern  without  the  power  to  realise  it,  to 
have  our  Lord's  example  without  His  effi- 
cacy and  energy,  would  be  of  little  practical 
use  except  to  discourage  and  to  mock  us ; 
but  He  who  sets  the  standard  supplies  the 
strength,  and  our  hearts  are  thus  enabled  to 
enter  into  and  abide  in  the  endurance  of 
Christ. 

The  need  of  patient  endurance  is  obvious. 
Those  early  Christians  of  Thessalonica  were 
soon  put  to  the  test.  A  few  days  and  their 
new-born  experiences  were  severely  proved. 
Persecution,  ostracism,  suffering,  and,  it  may 
be,  death  put  a  real  strain  upon  their 
Christian  profession  ;  yet  they  endured,  and 
the  Apostle's  prayer  was  answered ;    for  we 

46 


Love  and  Peace 

know  with  what  joy  he  received  tidings  of 
their  endurance  and  continuance  (ch.  i.  4). 
The  same  endurance  is  needed  to-day,  though 
the  circumstances  are  very  different.  Sin  is 
still  powerful,  and  trials,  suffering,  sorrow  and 
death  are  found  on  every  hand.  Many 
things  would  tempt  us  from  our  allegiance 
and  continuance.  Like  the  Psalmist,  we  see 
the  wicked  prospering,  and  we  are  ready  to 
burst  out  with  the  faithless  cry  :  "  I  have 
cleansed  my  heart  in  vain,  and  washed  my 
hands  in  innocency."  Or  we  have  been 
toiling  in  the  vineyard  for  long  without  seeing 
any  fruit,  and  like  the  prophet,  we  are 
tempted  to  cry  :  "  I  have  laboured  in  vain, 
I  have  spent  my  strength  for  nought." 
Then  we  hear  the  voice  of  the  Apostle  re- 
minding us  of  "  the  love  of  God  "  and  "  the 
patience  of  Christ." 

The  secret  of  patience  is  love.  If  only  we 
live  in  the  love  of  God  we  shall  thereby  find 
the  grace  of  patience.  The  union  of  love 
and  patience  was  exemplified  in  our  Lord's 
earthly  life.  He  kept  His  Father's  com- 
mandments and  abode  in  His  love,  and  if 

47 


The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul 

only  we  will  continue  in  His  love  we  shall 
thereby  be  enabled  to  keep  His  command- 
ments, and  endure  as  He  endured. 

2.  The  Guide. 

"  7 he  Lord  direct  your  hearts,^'*  We 
need  direction.  Sin  has  blinded  us,  and  kept 
us  from  knowing  the  way  home  into  the  love 
of  God,  and  into  the  endurance  of  Christ. 
Still  more,  sin  has  biassed  our  hearts,  and 
kept  us  from  going  along  the  way.  Thus  we 
need  nothing  short  of  a  Divine  direction.  If 
the  Lord  does  not  make  straight  our  way 
home  we  never  shall  arrive  there. 

How  does  our  Lord  direct  our  hearts  ? 
First,  by  constant  and  ever-increasing  ex- 
perience of  His  love.  "  God  is  love,"  and 
as  it  is  of  the  essence  of  love  to  communicate 
itself,  God  is  ever  revealing  to  our  hearts  and 
bestowing  upon  them  His  own  Divine  love. 
Along  the  straight  pathway  He  guides  the 
soul  into  deeper  and  fuller  experience  of  His 
unchanging,  unerring,  and  unending  love. 

He  also  guides  by  bestowing  upon  us  an 
ever-fuller  experience  of  the  power  of  Christ. 

48 


Love  and  Peace 

Patient  endurance  is  not  learned  all  at  once, 
and  the  Lord  leads  us  as  we  are  able  to  bear 
His  disclosures  and  His  discipline.  Every 
lesson  of  testing  brings  with  it  a  fresh  ex- 
perience of  grace,  and  every  call  to  endure 
carries  with  it  the  assurance  of  sufficient 
strength  and  power. 

The  means  used  for  our  direction,  as  we 
have  already  seen,  are  three  in  number,  but 
the  truth  is  so  important  that  it  needs 
renewed  emphasis.  The  Lord  directs  us  by 
His  Word.  Its  examples,  its  counsels,  its 
promises,  its  warnings,  it  anticipations,  its 
incentives  all  come  with  force  and  blessing 
upon  the  heart,  impelling  it  to  go  the  right 
way  home.  He  also  directs  us  hy  His  Holy 
Spirit  dwelling  within  us.  The  Divine 
Spirit  possesses  and  purifies  our  thoughts, 
cleanses  and  clarifies  our  motives,  freshens 
and  fertilises  our  soul,  sanctifies  and  sensitises 
our  conscience,  guides  and  guards  our  will ; 
and  thus  "  every  virtue  we  possess,  and  every 
victory  won,  and  every  thought  of  holiness  " 
are  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God  in 
guiding  and  directing  our  hearts  into  the 

49 


The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul 

love  of  God  and  into  the  patience  of 
Christ. 

The  Lord  also  guides  hy  His  Providence, 
He  uses  the  circumstances  of  our  daily  life 
to  indicate  His  will.  The  discipline,  the 
thousand  and  one  little  events  and  episodes, 
the  ordinary  experience  of  daily  duty,  the 
shadows  and  the  sunshine,  are  all  part  of 
His  providential  guidance  as  He  leads  us 
along  the  pathway  home  into  the  love  of  God. 
All  things  are  continually  working  together 
for  good  to  them  that  love  God. 

Now  we  pass  to  consider  the  second  and 
complementary  prayer. 

3.  The  Gift. 

In  this  concluding  prayer  of  the  Epistle 
the  Apostle  sums  up  by  speaking  of  that  which 
is  in  some  respects  the  greatest  gift  of  God  in 
Christ,  the  gift  of  perfect  and  perpetual  peace. 

Our  first  need  is  feace  of  conscience.  The 
burden  of  sin  weighs  heavily  upon  the 
awakened  soul,  and  the  condemnation  of  the 
law  consciously  weighs  upon  it.  As  we  look 
back  over  the  past,  and  realise  what  it  has 
50 


Love  and  Peace 

been,  we  long  for  rest  in  the  removal  of  con- 
demnation and  the  bestowal  of  forgiveness. 
Our  hearts  cry  out  for  peace  with  God. 

Our  second  need  is  peace  of  heart.  The  soul 
set  free  from  the  burden  of  condemnation  and 
guilt  soon  finds  the  need  of  a  new  strength, 
new  interests,  new  hopes.  The  past  has  been 
obliterated  by  mercy,  but  the  present  looms 
large  with  difficulty.  Temptations  to  fear 
and  discouragement  arise,  and  the  soul  longs 
for  peace.  Peace  with  God  by  reconciliation 
must  therefore  be  followed  by  the  peace  of 
God  through  restfulness  of  heart  day  by  day. 

Our  third  need  is  peace  of  fellowship.  The 
true  Christian  life  is  never  solitary,  but  is 
lived  in  association  with  others.  Our  re- 
lationship to  Christ  necessarily  carries  with 
it  a  relationship  to  those  who  are  in  Christ 
with  us,  and  as  a  consequence  the  peace 
which  is  ours  in  Christ  is  expressed  in  peace 
and  fellowship  with  our  fellow- believers. 
The  context  of  this  prayer  shows  that  the 
Apostle  had  this  aspect  of  peace  in  mind, 
and  no  true  peace  can  be  enjoyed  with  God 
that  is  not  shared  with  our  fellow- Christians. 
51 


The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul 

Our  Lord  has  broken  down  the  wall  of 
partition  between  us  ;  He  has  made  us  all 
one  in  Himself,  for  He  is  our  peace. 

4.  The  Giver. 

The  source  of  this  threefold  peace  is 
"  The  Lord  of  'peace  UimseljP  By  His 
death  He  brings  us  peace  of  conscience,  by 
His  Resurrection  life  peace  of  heart,  by  His 
Holy  Spirit  peace  of  fellowship.  "  Peace  I 
leave  with  you  "  is  the  legacy  of  His  Death. 
"  My  peace  I  give  unto  you  "  is  the  gift  of 
His  Spirit.  On  the  Resurrection  evening  He 
came  with  this  twofold  peace.  First,  He 
said,  "  Peace  be  unto  you,"  and  "  showed 
them  His  hands  and  His  side,"  thus  assuring 
them  of  peace  of  conscience  through  His 
Death.  Then  He  said  unto  them  again^ 
"  Peace  be  unto  you,"  and  bestowed  upon 
them  His  Holy  Spirit,  thus  guaranteeing  to 
them  peace  of  heart.  His  own  peace,  which 
had  been  so  marked  a  feature  of  His  own  life 
and  ministry,  was  now  to  be  theirs.  He,  the 
possessor  of  peace,  was  now  to  be  the  provider 
of  peace  to  them. 

52 


Love  and  Peace 

The  title,  "The  Lord  of  peace,"  in  this 
passage  is  very  noteworthy.  It  is  only  found 
here,  though  the  title  "  God  of  peace " 
occurs  several  times.  What  are  we  to 
understand  by  it  ?  Surely  it  is  a  hint  to  us 
that  only  in  His  Lordship,  acknowledged  and 
experienced  by  us,  can  we  find  peace.  In 
very  significant  words  we  read  in  the  prophet 
of  "  His  government  and  peace."  First 
government  and  then  peace,  since  peace  is 
only  possible  as  a  result  of  government.  In 
like  manner  we  read  in  the  psalm  of  "  right- 
eousness and  peace,"  for  it  is  only  as  He  is 
"  the  Lord  our  righteousness  "  that  He  be- 
comes the  Lord  our  peace.  When  the  gover- 
ment  is  upon  His  shoulder,  and  He  is  the 
Lord  of  our  life,  the  inevitable  and  blessed 
result  is  "  peace,  perfect  peace." 

The  continuity  of  this  peace  is  very  note- 
worthy— "  Give  you  peace  alzvaysJ^^  It  is 
a  constant  peace.  It  is  independent  of 
circumstances,  and  does  not  change  with 
changing  experiences,  since  it  is  independent 
of  our  variableness,  and  depends  entirely  upon 
the  Lord  of  peace  and  His  Divine  gift. 
53 


The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul 

Peace  is  associated  with  our  permanent 
relationship  to  God  in  Christ,  and  a  relation- 
ship of  this  kind  is  unalterable  by  any  ex- 
periences or  circumstances.  The  Lord  gives 
peace  always. 

The  channels  of  this  peace  are  also  sig- 
nificant— "  Peace  always  hy  all  means,^^ 
"  In  every  manner,"  by  all  conceivable 
channels  and  methods  this  peace  comes.  No 
circumstance  or  condition  of  life  can  be  ours 
which  does  not  give  some  opportunity  for 
the  bestowal,  experience,  and  enjoyment  of 
peace.  Not  only  does  peace  come  "  always," 
but  "  all  ways." 

Love,  Patience,  Peace — ^how  beautiful  and 
suggestive  the  combination  and  association  ! 
Patience  is  the  fruit  of  love,  and  peace  is 
the  fruit  of  patience.  When  the  soul  is 
dwelling  in  the  love  of  God  patience  and 
peace  flow  naturally  into  the  life,  and  are  as 
naturally  exemplified  in  it.  And  so  the  heart 
rejoices  in  the  love,  reproduces  the  patience, 
and  reposes  in  the  peace  of  the  Lord  of  peace, 
because  it  is  ever  at  rest  in  the  presence  and 
grace  of  "  the  God  of  love  and  peace." 
54 


V. 

KNOWLEDGE  AND  OBEDIENCE. 


V. 

KNOWLEDGE  AND  OBEDIENCE. 

"  For  this  cause  we  also,  since  the  day  we  heard  it,  do 
not  cease  to  pray  for  you,  and  to  desire  that  ye  might  be 
filled  with  the  knowledge  of  His  will  in  all  wisdom  and 
spiritual  understanding  ;  that  ye  might  walk  worthy  of  the 
Lord  unto  all  pleasing,  being  fruitful  in  every  good  work, 
and  increasing  in  the  knowledge  of  God ;  strengthened 
with  all  might,  according  to  His  glorious  power,  unto  all 
patience  and  long-suffering  with  joyfulness ;  giving  thanks 
unto  the  Father." — Col.  i.  9-12. 

The  Epistles  of  the  (first)  captivity  of  the 
Apostle  (Philippians,  Ephesians,  Colossians, 
Philemon)  represent  his  maturest  experiences. 
As  a  consequence  the  prayers  found  in  them 
are  particularly  noteworthy,  revealing  some 
of  the  deepest  things  of  the  writer's  spiritual 
life.  In  this  respect  they  are  at  once  tests 
and  models  for  us  ;  and  it  is  perhaps  not  too 
much    to   say    that    careful    and   prolonged 

57 


The  Prayers  of  St.   Paul 

prayerful  meditation  on  the  prayers  found  in 
these  Epistles  will  prove  one  of  the  most 
valuable  and  helpful  methods  of  deepening 
the  spiritual  life.  The  first  of  these  we  now 
consider. 

I.  The  Reason  of  the  Prayer. 

Colosse  was  one  of  the  Churches  which 
Paul  had  neither  founded  nor  visited  (ch.  ii.  i). 
Christianity  was  brought  there  by  Epaphras, 
one  of  his  disciples  (ch.  i.  7).  But  the 
Apostle  was  as  keenly  interested  in  its 
spiritual  welfare  as  if  he  had  been  instrumental 
in  founding  it.  So  when  he  had  heard  of 
their  faith  and  love  (ch.  i.  4),  and  the  fruit- 
fulness  of  their  life  (ch.  i.  6),  he  thanked  God 
on  their  behalf  (ch.  i.  3),  and  prayed  this 
prayer.  Deep  interest  in  the  spiritual  life 
of  others  was  one  of  the  prominent  marks  of 
the  Christian  character  of  St.  Paul.  His 
was  no  self-centred  life,  for  he  was  ever  keenly 
alert  to  appreciate  the  marks  of  grace  in 
others.  This  is  a  test,  and  at  the  same  time 
a  rebuke,  for  us.  How  unlike  we  are  to  a 
Christian  of  the  type  of  Barnabas,  of  whom 

58 


Knowledge  and  Obedience 

we  read  :  "  Who,  when  he  came,  and  had 
seen  the  grace  of  God,  was  glad  "  (Acts  xi. 
23).  This  is  only  possible  by  having  "  a 
heart  at  leisure  from  itself  "  ;  and  when  we 
are  thus  deeply  interested  in  the  marks  and 
manifestations  of  the  Divine  working  in 
other  people's  lives  we  shall  not  only  praise 
God  on  their  behalf,  but  also,  like  the  Apostle, 
pray  for  them  ;  and  thus  the  blessing  will 
extend  and  deepen. 

2.  The  Nature  of  the  Prayer. 

The  main  point  of  his  prayer  was  that  they 
might  be  "  filled  with  the  knowledge  of  His 
wilL^^  The  will  of  God  known  and  done  is 
the  secret  of  all  true  living.  It  was  the  key- 
note of  our  Lord's  earthly  life.  He  came  to 
do  the  will  of  the  Father,  and  in  one  of  the 
deepest  experiences  of  His  life  He  said  : 
"  Not  My  will,  but  Thine  be  done."  He 
told  His  disciples  that  His  meat  was  to  do  the 
will  of  Him  that  sent  Him  ;  and  He  taught 
them  to  pray,  "  Thy  will  be  done  in  earth 
as  it  is  in  heaven."  The  will  of  God  is  the 
substance  of  revelation,  for  what  is  the  Bible 
59 


The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul 

from  beginning  to  end  but  the  revelation  of 
God's  will  for  man  ?  Perhaps  the  most  all- 
embracing  prayer  is :  "  Teach  me  to  do  Thy 
will  "  ;  and  certainly  the  ideal  life  is  summed 
up  in  the  phrase,  "  He  that  doeth  the  will  of 
God  abideth  for  ever."  Well  might  the 
Apostle  pray  for  these  Christians  of  Colosse 
to  be  filled  with  the  knowledge  of  God's  will. 
The  word  rendered  "  knowledge  "  means 
"  mature  knowledge,"  and  is  one  of  the 
characteristic  words  of  these  four  Epistles 
written  from  Rome.  The  Apostle  evidently 
regarded  mature  knowledge,  or  deep  spiritual 
experience,  as  the  pre-eminent  mark  of  a 
ripening  Christian.  In  this  respect  St.  John 
bears  the  same  testimony,  in  his  reference  to 
the  three  stages  of  the  Christian  life  re- 
presented by  '*  little  children,"  "  young 
men,"  and  "  fathers."  The  little  children 
have  ;  the  young  men  are  ;  the  fathers  know 
(i  John  ii.  12-14).  This  spiritual  knowledge 
or  experience  is  the  great  safeguard  against 
error,  in  that  it  gives  power  to  distinguish 
between  good  and  evil,  between  truth  and 
falsehood. 

60 


Knowledge  and  Obedience 

The  measure  of  this  knowledge  is  to  be 
carefully  noted — "  filled  with  the  knowledge 
of  His  will."  The  word  also  implies  a  ful- 
ness which  is  realised  continually — not  a 
bare  knowledge,  but  its  completeness ;  not 
an  intermittent  stream,  but  a  perpetual  flow. 
When  the  soul  experiences  this  it  is  pro- 
vided not  only  with  the  greatest  safeguard 
against  danger,  but  also  with  the  secret  of  a 
strong,  growing,  powerful  Christian  life. 

The  characteristics  of  this  knowledge 
should  be  observed  :  "  In  all  wisdom  and 
spiritual  understanding."*^  "  Wisdom  "  is  a 
general  term  which  implies  the  capacity  and 
faculty  for  adapting  the  best  means  to  bring 
about  the  best  ends  in  things  spiritual. 
"  Spiritual  understanding "  is  the  specific 
coming  or  putting  together  of  principles  by 
means  of  which  true  action  is  taken.  It 
really  means  "putting  two  and  two  together," 
comparing  ideas  and  principles,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  adopting  the  best  in  any  given  course 
of  action.  Of  the  importance  and  necessity 
of  wisdom  and  spiritual  understanding  scarcely 
anything  need  be  said.  Christian  wisdom, 
6i 


The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul 

Christian  understanding,  Christian  per- 
ception in  the  thousand  and  one  things  of 
life — this  surely  is  one  of  our  greatest 
necessities  and  choicest  blessings.  How 
many  errors  would  be  avoided,  how  many 
wanderings  checked,  by  means  of  this  spiritual 
wisdom  !  Still  more,  how  much  joy  would 
be  experienced  and  how  much  genuine  ser- 
vice rendered,  if  we  were  always  saying  and 
doing  the  right  thing,  at  the  right  time,  in 
the  right  way. 

"  Filled  with  the  knowledge  of  His  will  in 
all  wisdom  and  spiritual  under  standing^ 
This  means  for  its  complete  realisation  con- 
stant touch  with  that  Book  which  presents 
the  clearly  expressed  will  of  God.  The 
will  of  God  is  in  that  Word,  and  when  the 
Word  is  illuminated  by  the  Spirit  of  God  we 
come  to  know  His  will  concerning  us.  No 
one  will  ever  have  the  full  knowledge  of  that 
will,  no  one  can  possibly  be  mature  in  ex- 
perience, if  the  Word  of  God  is  not  his  daily, 
definite,  direct  study  and  meditation.  It 
purifies  the  perception  of  the  faculties  by  its 
cleansing  power ;  it  illuminates  the  moral 
62 


Knowledge  and  Obedience 

faculties  with  its  enlightening  power ;  it 
controls  the  emotional  faculties  with  its 
protective  power  ;  it  energises  the  volitional 
faculties  with  its  stimulating  power  ;  and 
thus  in  the  constant,  continuous  use  of  the 
Word  of  God  in  personal  practice,  with 
meditation  and  prayer,  we  shall  become 
*'  filled  with  the  full  knowledge  of  His  will  in 
all  wisdom  and  spiritual  understanding." 

3.  The  Purpose  of  the  Prayer. 

Knowledge  is  not  an  end  in  itself,  but  the 
means  to  an  end  ;  and  so  the  Apostle  states 
the  purpose  for  which  he  asks  this  knowledge 
of  God's  will :  "  ^hat  ye  might  walk  worthy 
of  the  Lord  unto  all  ^leasing  .  .  .  fruitful  .  .  . 
increasing  .  .  .  strengthened  .  •  .  giving 
thanksJ^ 

Their  life  is  to  be  influenced  by  this 
knowledge — "  walk  worthy  of  the  LordJ^ 
Knowledge  is  to  be  translated  into  practice. 
"  Walking  "  is  the  characteristic  Bible  word 
descriptive  of  the  character  of  the  Christian 
life,  the  full  expression  of  all  our  powers.  As 
it  presupposes  life,  so  it  means  energy,  move- 

63 


The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul 

ment,  progress ;  and  for  this,  knowledge  is 
essential.  How  can  we  walk  unless  we  know 
why  and  whither  we  go  ?  The  knowledge  of 
God's  will  gives  point  and  purpose  to  the 
activities  of  life. 

''Walk  worthy  of  the  Lord:'  What  a 
profound  and  searching  thought  is  here — 
"  Worthy  of  the  Lord."  Surely  this  is  im- 
possible ;  yet  these  are  the  plain  words  of 
the  inspired  writer.  To  walk  worthy  of  the 
Lord — it  is  almost  incredible,  and  yet  this 
is  one  of  the  possibilities  and  glories  of  grace. 
The  Apostle  is  fond  of  the  word  "  worthy." 
We  are  to  walk  worthy  of  our  vocation  (Eph. 
iv.  i),  worthy  of  the  Gospel  (Phil.  i.  27), 
worthy  of  the  saints  (Rom.  xvi.  2),  worthy  of 
God  (i  Thess.  ii.  12).  We  may  be  perfectly 
sure  that  Paul  would  not  put  such  an  ideal 
before  us  if  it  could  not  be  realised.  God's 
commands  always  imply  promises. 

"  Unto  all  pleasing:'  Bishop  Moule 
beautifully  renders  this  phrase  :  "  Unto 
every  anticipation  of  His  will "  (Colossian 
Studies).  "  Teach  me  to  do  the  thing  that 
pleaseth  Thee ''   (P.   B.  version).     What  a 

64 


Knowledge  and  Obedience 

glorious  ideal !  We  are  so  to  walk  as  to 
please  Him  in  everything.  Not  only  doing 
what  we  are  told,  but  anticipating  His 
commands  by  living  in  such  close  touch  with 
Him  that  we  instinctively  know  the  thing 
that  will  please  Him.  These  words  sound  a 
depth  of  the  spiritual  life  with  which  com- 
paratively few  are  familiar ;  and  yet  here 
they  are,  facing  us  definitely,  with  their  call 
to  realise  that  which  God  has  placed  before  us. 

The  specific  details  of  this  worthy  walk 
are  next  brought  before  us  in  four  pregnant 
phrases : 

"  Being  fruitful  in  every  good  work.^^ 
Notice  every  word  of  this  sentence.  Our 
life  is  to  be  characterised  by  good  works,  and 
in  each  and  every  one  of  these  we  are  to  be 
fruitful,  manifesting  the  ripeness,  and,  if  it 
may  be  so  put,  the  beauty  and  lusciousness 
associated  with  fruit.  Mark,  too,  that  it  is 
"  fruitful  in  every  good  work,"  that  is,  in  the 
process  of  doing  the  work,  and  not  merely  as 
the  result  or  outcome  of  it.  The  very  work 
itself  is  intended  to  be  fruitful  apart  from 
particular  results.    There  may  be  very  few 

65 


The  Prayers  of  St.   Paul 

results  of  our  service  for  God,  but  the  service 
itself  may  and  should  be  fruitful. 

"  Increasing  in  the  knowledge  of  God,^^ 
Notice  the  difference  between  the  knowledge 
of  His  will  and  the  knowledge  of  Himself. 
"  That  I  may  know  Him  "  (Phil.  iii.  lo)  ; 
"  They  might  know  Thee  "  (John  xvii.  3)  ; 
"Ye  have  known  Him^^  (i  John  ii.  13). 
The  knowledge  of  His  will  will  lead  us  to  the 
knowledge  of  Himself,  and  beyond  this  it  is 
impossible  to  go. 

"  Strengthened  with  all  might,  according 
to  His  glorious  fower,  unto  all  fatience 
and  longsuffering  with  joy  fulness.'^''  The 
Apostle's  thought  pours  itself  out  in  rich 
abundance  in  these  words.  It  seems  as 
though  he  could  not  adequately  express  the 
possibilities  and  characteristics  of  the 
Christian  life  about  which  he  prays.  They 
are  to  be  "  strengthened,"  and  not  only  so, 
but  "  with  all  might."  The  principle  or 
standard  of  it  is  "  according  to  His  glorious 
power,"  and  the  end  of  it  is  "  unto  all 
patience  and  longsuffering  with  joyfulness." 
The  man  of  the  world  might  see  in  this  phrase 
66 


Knowledge  and  Obedience 

an  anticlimax,  when  it  is  said  that  the  end 
of  strength  is  patience  and  longsuffering  ; 
and  yet  Christianity  finds  its  ideal  in  energy 
expressed  in  character,  activity  manifesting 
itself  in  passivity,  and  might  in  meekness. 

Notice,  too,  the  suggestive  addition,  "  with 
joyjulness,'^^  Patience  and  longsuffering 
without  joy  are  apt  to  be  cold,  chilly,  un- 
attractive. There  is  a  stern,  stoical  endur- 
ance of  suffering  which,  while  it  may  be 
admired  sometimes,  tends  to  repel.  But 
when  patience  and  longsuffering  are  per- 
meated and  suffused  with  joyfulness,  the 
very  life  of  Christ  is  lived  over  again  in  His 
followers.  Resignation  to  the  will  of  God 
is  only  very  partially  a  Christian  virtue  ;  but 
when  we  take  joyfully  the  things  that  come 
upon  us  we  are  indeed  manifesting  the  very 
life  of  God  Himself. 

"  Giving  thanks  unto  the  Father.^''  This 
is  the  crowning  grace  for  which  the  Apostle 
prays — thankfulness.  How  much  it  means. 
The  heart  full  of  gratitude  and  gladness,  the 
life  full  of  brightness  and  buoyancy,  the 
character  full  of  vitality  and  vigour.    The  joy 

67 


The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul 

of  the  Lord  is,  indeed,  the  strength  of  His 
people,  and  when  this  element  of  thanks- 
giving characterises  our  life,  it  gives  tone  to 
everything  else,  and  crovi^ns  all  other  graces. 

4.  The  Character  of  the  Prayer. 

We  have  seen  what  the  Apostle  desired  for 
the  Christians  of  Colosse,  and  in  so  doing  we 
have  learnt  some  of  the  deepest  secrets  of 
Christian  living.  It  remains  to  notice  the 
characteristics  of  this  prayer,  in  order  that 
our  prayers  may  be  taught  and  guided  and 
inspired  with  power. 

His  prayer  was  urgent — "  Since  the  day 
zve  heardy  From  the  moment  the  tidings 
came  by  Epaphras  of  the  Christian  life  in 
Colosse  the  Apostle's  heart  went  up  to  God 
in  prayer. 

His  prayer  was  incessant — "  Do  not  cease 
to  ^rayP  Again  and  again  he  asked,  and 
kept  on  asking,  so  fully  was  his  heart  drawn 
out  in  prayer  for  these  Christians  whom  he 
had  never  seen. 

His  prayer  was  intense — "  And  to  desireP 
This  was  no  mere  lip  service.  His  heart  had 
68 


Knowledge  and  Obedience 

evidently  been  stirred  to  its  core  by  the 
tidings  of  the  Christian  life  at  Colosse,  and 
as  he  heard  of  their  faith,  their  love,  their 
hope,  their  holiness,  their  service,  a  deep, 
intense,  longing  desire  came  into  his  soul  to 
seek  for  still  fuller  and  deeper  blessing  on 
their  behalf.  What  a  man  he  was,  and  what 
prayers  his  were ! 

His  prayer  was  o-ffered  in  fellowship  with 
others — ^^  Since  the  day  we  heard?'^  Tim- 
othy was  associated  with  the  Apostle  in  these 
petitions.  United  prayer  is  one  of  the 
greatest  powers  in  the  Christian  Church. 
"  If  two  of  you  shall  agree  as  touching  any- 
thing that  they  shall  ask,  it  shall  be  done." 
Personal  prayer  is  precious,  united  prayer  is 
still  more  powerful. 

Thus  in  these  verses  we  have  one  of  the 
fullest,  deepest  and  most  precious  of  the 
Apostle's  prayers,  and  as  we  consider  its 
union  of  thought  and  experience,  of  profound 
teaching  and  equally  profound  revelation  of 
Christian  life,  we  learn  two  of  the  most 
urgent  and  necessary  lessons  for  the  Christian 
life  to-day. 

69 


The  Prayers  of  St.   Paul 

The  first  of  these  shall  be  given  in  the  words 
of  Bishop  Moule  :  "  Beware  of  untheological 
devotion."  If  devotion  is  to  be  real  it  should 
be  characterised  by  thought.  There  is  no 
contradiction  between  mind  and  heart, 
between  theology  and  devotion.  Devotional 
hours  do  not  mean  hours  when  thought  is 
absent.  Meditation  is  not  abstraction,  nor 
is  devotion  dreaminess.  "  Thou  shalt  love 
the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  mind  "  is  an 
essential  part  of  the  commandment.  If 
genuine  thought  and  equally  genuine  theo- 
logy do  not  characterise  our  hours  of  de- 
votion, we  lose  some  of  the  most  precious 
opportunities  of  grace  and  blessing.  A  piety 
which  is  mere  pietism,  an  evangelicalism 
which  does  not  continually  ponder  the  pro- 
found truths  of  the  New  Testament,  can 
never  be  strong  or  do  any  deep  service.  We 
must  beware  of  "  untheological  devotion." 

We  must  also  beware  of  "  undevotional 
theology."  This  is  the  opposite  error,  and 
constitutes  an  equally  great  danger.  A 
hard,  dry,  intellectual  study  of  theology  will 
yield  no  spiritual  fruit.  Accuracy  in  know- 
70 


Knowledge  and  Obedience 

ledge  of  Greek,  careful  balancing  of  aspects 
of  truth,  large  knowledge  of  the  doctrinal 
verities  of  the  New  Testament,  are  all 
essential  and  valuable  ;  but  unless  they  are 
permeated  hy  a  spirit  of  devotion  they  will 
fail  at  the  crucial  point.  Pectus  facit 
theologum — it  is  the  heart  that  makes  the 
theologian  ;  and  a  theology  which  does  not 
spring  from  spiritual  experience  is  doomed  to 
decay,  to  deadness,  and  therefore  to  disaster. 
When,  therefore,  our  devotions  are  theo- 
logical, and  our  theology  is  devotional,  we 
begin  to  realise  the  true  being,  blessing,  and 
power  of  the  Christian  life,  and  we  go  from 
strength  to  strength,  from  grace  to  grace, 
and  from  glory  unto  glory. 


71 


VI. 

CONFLICT  AND  COMFORT. 


VI. 

CONFLICT  AND  COMFORT. 

"  For  I  would  that  ye  knew  what  great  conflict  I  have 
for  you,  and  for  them  at  Laodicea,  and  for  as  many  as 
have  not  seen  my  face  in  the  flesh  ;  that  their  hearts 
may  be  comforted,  being  knit  together  in  love,  and  unto 
all  riches  of  the  full  assurance  of  understanding,  to  the 
acknowledgment  of  the  mystery  of  God,  and  of  the 
Father,  and  of  Christ." — Col.  ii.  i,  2. 

Although  he  was  in  prison  the  Apostle  was 
constantly  at  work  for  his  Master,  and  not 
least  of  all  at  the  work  of  prayer.  If  ever 
the  words  orare  est  lahorare^  "  to  pray  is  to 
labour,"  were  true,  they  were  true  of  St.  Paul, 
for  to  him  to  pray  was  to  work  with  all  his 
might,  as  we  shall  see  from  a  study  of  another 
of  the  prayers  offered  in  his  Roman  prison. 

I.  What  Prayer  Means. 

Prayer  is  described  as  a  conflict.  We  have 
a  similar  expression  used  of  the  prayers  of 

75 


The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul 

Epaphras,  in  the  words  "labouring  fervently" 
(CoL  iv.  12).  The  same  word  "  conflict "  is 
associated  with  faith,  "  the  good  fight  of 
faith  "  (i  Tim.  vi.  12),  and  with  the  "  good 
fight  "  of  the  Apostle's  entire  life  (2  Tim.  iv. 
7).  Prayer  regarded  as  a  conflict  includes 
the  two  ideas  of  toil  and  strife. 

The  toil  of  prayer  shows  us  the  work 
involved  in  it.  Sometimes  we  hear  the 
expression,  "  If  you  can  do  nothing  else,  you 
can  pray,"  as  though  prayer  were  the  easiest 
of  all  things.  As  a  simple  fact,  it  is  the 
hardest.  No  man  knows  what  prayer  means 
unless  he  knows  what  it  is  to  "  labour  "  in 
prayer.  The  strife  involved  in  prayer  im- 
plies opposition — the  opposing  force  of  one 
who  wishes  above  all  things  to  check  and 
thwart  our  prayers.  We  discern  something 
of  this  opposition  in  the  well-known  words, 
"  We  wrestle  "  (Eph.  vi.  1 2)  ;  and  the  words 
of  the  hymn  are  as  true  as  they  are  familiar — 

**And  Satan  trembles  when  he  sees 
The  weakest  saint  upon  his  knees.'* 

The  Apostle  knew  bv  spiritual  experience 

76 


Conflict  and  Comfort 

that  to  pray  was  to  rouse  up  against  himself  a 
mighty  opposition,  and  it  was  this  force  that 
made  his  prayer  such  a  "  great  conflict." 
No  beHever  should  be  surprised  at  his  prayers 
"  being  hindered "  (i  Pet.  iii.  7).  It  is 
evidently  one  of  Satan's  main  objects  to 
get  the  Christian  to  restrain  prayer.  The 
Christian  man  or  the  Christian  Church  that 
continues  instant  in  prayer  may  rest  assured 
of  malignant  opposition  from  the  hosts  of 
spiritual  wickedness  in  high  places.  On  the 
other  hand,  we  may  be  sure  that  Satan 
scarcely  troubles  himself  about  the  believer 
or  congregation  whose  private,  family, 
and  public  praying  is  neglected  or  thought 
little  of.  Prayer  is,  therefore,  a  "  great 
conflict."  It  is  not  solicitude  only,  but  a 
struggle  ;  not  merely  anxiety,  but  activity. 
As  Bishop  Moule  says :  "  Prayer  is  never 
meant  to  be  indolently  easy,  however  simple 
and  reliant  it  may  be.  It  is  meant  to  be  an 
infinitely  important  transaction  between' 
man  and  God.  And  therefore  very  often, 
when  subjects  and  circumstances  call  for  it, 
it  has  to  be  viewed   as   a  work  involving 

77 


The  Prayers  of  St.   Paul 

labour,  persistency,  conflict,  if  it  would  be 
prayer  indeed"  (Colossian  Studies,  p.  124). 
The  Bi  hop  goes  on  to  quote  a  familiar 
incident  which  illustrates  this  great  truth  : 
"  A  visitor  knocked  betimes  one  morning  at 
the  door  of  a  good  man,  a  saint  of  the  noblest 
Puritan  type — and  that  was  a  fine  type  indeed. 
He  called  as  a  friend  to  consult  a  friend,  sure 
of  his  welcome.  But  he  was  kept  waiting 
long.  At  last  a  servant  came  to  explain  the 
delay  :  '  My  master  has  been  at  prayer, 
and  this  morning  he  has  been  long  in  getting 
access.'  " 

The  practical  question  for  us  is  whether 
this  is  our  idea  of  prayer,  or  whether  we  are 
merely  playing  at  prayer,  and  not  regarding 
it  with  true  seriousness.  If  we  know  what 
it  is  to  have  "  great  conflict  "  in  prayer, 
happy  are  we.  If  we  do  not,  we  may  well 
ask  God  to  search  our  hearts  and  change  our 
minds  about  prayer. 

Prayer  is  characterised  by  unselfishness. 
The  conflict  of  the  Apostle  was  not  self- 
centred.  It  was  on  behalf  of  others :  "  Great 
conflict   I  have  for  you,   and  for  them   at 

78 


Conflict  and  Comfort 

Laodicea."  This  is  the  essence  of  prayer- 
intercession  on  behalf  of  others.  If  our 
seasons  of  prayer  are  largely  taken  up  with 
prayers  for  our  own  needs,  however  genuine, 
we  are  failing  at  a  crucial  point ;  but  if  our 
time  is  mainly  taken  up  with  prayers  for 
others,  we  shall  soon  find  that  our  own 
blessings  begin  to  abound.  "  There  is  that 
scattereth  and  yet  increaseth." 

Prayer  also  implies  symfathy.  The 
Apostle  was  praying  for  people  whom  he  had 
never  seen,  and  probably  never  would  see. 
This  is  not  easy — indeed,  is  very  difficult — 
but  it  is  a  real  test  of  spirituality.  "  Out  of 
sight,  out  of  mind."  We  are  tempted  to 
limit  our  prayers  to  friends  whom  we  know, 
causes  in  which  we  are  interested,  subjects 
spiritually  near  and  akin  to  us.  Not  so  the 
Apostle,  whose  heart  went  out  to  the  whole 
Church  of  God  in  every  place  where  he  knew 
through  friends  that  little  bodies  of  Christians 
were  to  be  found.  His  sympathy  was  at 
once  quick,  wide,  and  deep,  and  it  is  one  of 
the  supreme  tests  of  true  spirituality  to  have 
a  sympathy  possessed  of  all  these  three  charac- 

79 


The  Prayers  of  St.   Paul 

teristics.  Our  sympathy  may  be  quick  and 
yet  narrow,  or  wide  but  not  deep,  or  even 
deep  and  not  wide  ;  but  to  be  at  once  quick, 
wide,  and  deep  in  sympathy  is  to  be  a  true 
follower  of  Christ. 

As  we  ponder  these  things — conflict,  un- 
selfishness, sympathy — do  not  our  hearts 
condemn  us  ?  Instead  of  conflict,  how  easy- 
going have  been  our  prayers  !  Instead  of 
unselfish,  how  self  -  centred,  instead  of 
sympathetic,  how  contracted !  Thus  the 
Apostle  searches  and  tests  us  as  we  dwell  on 
his  wonderful  life  of  prayer. 

2.  What  Prayer  Brings. 

What  were  the  objects  for  which  the 
Apostle  prayed  so  earnestly  on  behalf  of  these 
unknown  Christians  ?  What  were  the  pre- 
cise gifts  that  he  sought  for  them  from  God  ? 
This  is  no  unnecessary  question,  for  the  same 
gifts  will  surely  be  suitable  to  us. 

He  asked  for  spiritual   strength  :    "  That 

their  hearts  might  be  comforted."     St.  Paul 

always  went  to  the  very  centre  and  core  of 

things,    and    so    we    find    him    constantly 

80 


Conflict  and  Comfort 

praying  with  reference  to  the  "  hearts  "  of 
these  Colossian  Christians.  Since,  as  we  have 
seen,  the  "^  heart  "  in  Scripture  is  the  centre 
of  our  moral  and  spiritual  being,  if  the  heart 
is  right,  all  will  be  right,  for  "  out  of  it  are 
the  issues  of  life."  He  prays  that  their 
"  hearts  "  might  be  comforted — that  is,  in 
the  full  sense  of  the  word,  encouraged,  ex- 
horted, strengthened.  "  Comfort  "  includes 
the  three  elements  of  strength,  courage,  and 
consolation.  We  must  be  strong,  brave,  and 
cheery.  This  is  the  full  meaning  of  the  term 
"  Comforter  "  as  applied  to  the  Holy  Spirit. 
He  is  the  One  Who  gives  strength,  courage, 
and  consolation.  This,  too,  is  the  true 
meaning  of  the  familiar  phrase  of  the  English 
Prayer  Book,  "  Comfortable  words  " — words 
that  minister  strength,  fortitude,  and  cheer. 
The  fact  that  this  thought  of  "  hearts  com- 
forted "  was  often  in  the  mind  and  on  the  lips 
of  the  Apostle  shows  the  importance  he 
attached  to  it  (2  Thess.  ii.  17  ;  Eph.  vi.  22). 
With  hearts  made  strong,  courageous,  and 
cheerful.  Christians  can  face  anything ; 
while  with  hearts  that  remain  weak,  fearful, 
81 


The  Prayers  of  St.   Paul 

and  sad  the  Christian  Hfe  is  a  prey  to  all  the 
temptations  of  the  Evil  One.  It  is  exactly 
similar  with  a  Church  or  a  congregation  of 
Christians,  for  one  of  the  supreme  needs  in 
any  community  is  comforted  hearts — the 
centres  of  life  made  strong,  courageous,  and 
happy.  Then  it  is  that  Churches  live,  grov^, 
extend,  and  witness  for  Christ  in  the  de- 
monstration of  the  Holy  Spirit  the  "  Com- 
forter." 

He  asked  for  spiritual  unity  :  "  Being  knit 
together  in  love,"  or,  quite  literally,  "  having 
been  compacted  in  love."  He  prayed  that 
these  Christians  might  be  kept  together,  knit 
together,  joined  together  in  a  spirit  of  love. 
Solitary  Christians  are  always  weak  Chris- 
tians, for  "  union  is  strength."  If  Christians 
are  not  knit  together,  the  cause  of  Christ 
must  necessarily  suffer,  for  through  the 
severances  caused  by  division  the  enemy  will 
keep  thrusting  his  darts.  That  is  why  tJie 
Apostle  elsewhere  urges  them  "  earnestly  to 
strive  to  keep  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  "  (Eph. 
iv.  3).  One  of  the  greatest  powers  that 
Satan  wields  to-day  is  due  to  the  disunion 
82 


Conflict  and  Comfort 

among  the  people  of  God.  It  is  true  of 
the  Christian  home,  congregation,  and  de- 
nomination. The  wedge  of  discord  is  one 
of  the  enemy's  most  powerful  weapons.  On 
the  other  hand,  where  the  brethren  dwell 
together  in  unity,  the  Lord  commands  His 
blessing.  In  almost  every  Epistle  the 
Apostle  emphasises  unity,  and  we  can  readily 
understand  the  reason. 

This  unity  is  only  possible  "  in  love."  It 
is  the  love  of  God  to  us  that  unites  us  to  Him, 
and  it  will  be  the  love  of  God  in  us  that  unites 
us  to  our  brethren.  There  is  no  power  like 
love  to  bind  Christians  together.  We  may 
not  see  eye  to  eye  on  all  aspects  of  truth  ; 
we  may  not  all  use  the  same  methods  of 
worship  and  service,  but  if  we  love  one 
another  God  dwells  in  us  and  among  us,  and 
adds  His  own  seal  of  blessing  to  the  work 
done  for  Him.  Let  every  Christian  be  fully 
assured  that  in  so  far  as  he  is  striving,  praying, 
and  labouring  for  the  union  of  God's  people 
In  love,  he  will  be  doing  one  of  the  most 
powerful  and  blessed  pieces  of  work  for  his 
Master,   and   one   of   the  greatest   possible 

83 


The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul 

pieces  of  disservice  to  the  kingdom  of  Satan. 
Contrariwise,  the  Christian  man  or  Christian 
Church  that  stands  out  for  separateness  and 
exclusiveness  is  one  of  the  best  allies  of  Satan, 
and  one  of  the  most  effective  v^orkers  for 
the  kingdom  of  darkness. 

He  asked  for  spiritual  certitude :  "  Unto 
all  riches  of  the  full  assurance  of  under- 
standing." Wealth  is  a  favourite  metaphor 
of  St.  Paul,  and  is  used  to  denote  the  fulness 
and  abundance  of  the  Christian  life  as  con- 
ceived by  him.  Mark  hov^  he  piles  phrase 
upon  phrase — ''  understanding,"  "  fulness  of 
understanding,"  and  then  "  v^^ealth  of  fulness 
of  understanding."  To  the  Apostle,  the 
mind  was  one  of  the  essential  powers  and 
principles  of  the  Christian  life.  So  far  from 
thinking  according  to  a  modern  fashion  that 
the  less  one  uses  the  mind  the  better  Christian 
one  is,  St.  Paul,  following  his  Master,  ever 
emphasised  the  duty  and  glory  of  loving  God 
"with  all  the  mind."  This  wealth  of  the 
fulness  of  "  understanding  "  means  an  abund- 
ance of  conviction,  both  intellectual  and 
moral,  that  Christianity  is  what  it  claims  to 

84 


Conflict  and  Comfort 

be,  and  that  the  Christian  life  is  the  perfect 
satisfaction  of  all  the  different  parts  of  man's 
nature.  He  prays  that  they  may  "  rise  to 
the  whole  wealth  of  the  full  exercise  of  their 
intelligence  "  (Moule).  Just  as  we  find  else- 
where "  the  fulness  of  faith  "  (Heb.  x.  22), 
"the  fulness  of  hope"  (Heb.  vi.  11),  and 
"  much  fulness  "  (i  Thess.  i.  5),  so  here  the 
Apostle  desires  them  to  enjoy  to  the  full  the 
intelligent  grasping  of  assurance  of  Christian 
truth  which  was  theirs  in  Christ. 

In  the  same  spirit  Luke  writes  to  Theo- 
philus :  "  That  thou  mightest  know  the 
certainty  of  those  things  wherein  thou  hast 
been  instructed."  A  firm  conviction  of  the 
understanding  is  one  of  the  greatest  needs,  as 
it  is  also  one  of  the  greatest  blessings,  of  the 
Christian  life.  If  a  Christian  cannot  say, 
"  I  know,"  "  I  am  persuaded,"  he  is  lacking 
in  one  of  the  prime  essentials  of  a  vigorous 
experience.  Let  us  ponder,  then,  this  re- 
markable phrase,  "  the  whole  wealth  of  the 
fulness  of  intelligence,"  and  see  in  it  one  of 
the  absolute  necessities  of  daily  experience. 

But  how  does  it  come  ?     It  is  the  result 

85 


The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul 

of  the  foregoing  "  comfort  "  and  "  love." 
Hearts  made  strong  mean  minds  fully  assured. 
Hearts  full  of  love  mean  intellects  full  of 
knov^ledge  and  conviction.  Let  no  one  say 
that  love  is  blind  :  on  the  contrary,  it  is  love 
that  sees  and  knows.  It  was  the  Apostle  of 
love  who  was  the  first  with  spiritual  insight 
to  say,  "  It  is  the  Lord,"  on  that  memorable 
early  morning  on  the  Lake  of  Galilee.  It  is 
the  Christian  with  a  heart  strong  and  full 
of  love  who  vnll  have  the  "  wealth  of  the 
fulness  of  intelligence."  The  same  is  true  of 
a  Church,  for  when  it  is  strong  and  united  in 
love,  there  will  come  such  an  influx  of  con- 
viction and  certitude  that  the  world  will  be 
impressed  by  the  demonstration  of  the  truth 
of  the  Christian  Gospel. 

He  asked  for  spiritual  knowledge  :  "  To 
the  full  knowledge  of  the  mystery  of  God 
and  the  Father,  even  Christ "  (not  as  A.V.). 
Here,  again,  we  have  a  favourite  word 
of  these  Epistles,  "full  knowledge,"  that 
is,  ripe,  mature  experience  ;  and  it  means 
the  experience  of  all  that  is  summed  up  in 
the  one  word  "  Christ."  In  view  of  the 
86 


Conflict  and  Comfort 

dangerous  errors,  then  rife  and  increasing,  of 
a  special  knowledge  confined  only  to  a  few, 
to  an  intellectual  aristocracy,  the  Apostle 
lays  stress  upon  the  possibility  of  every 
Christian  becoming  acquainted  in  personal 
experience  with  all  the  knowledge  of  God 
that  is  stored  up  in  Christ.  He  declares 
Christ  as  the  Image  of  God  (ch.  i.  15),  as 
the  Head  of  the  Church  (ch.  i.  18),  as  the 
One  in  Whom  all  fulness  dwells  (ch.  i.  19), 
as  the  Redeemer  from  sin  (ch.  i.  20),  as  the 
Hope  of  glory  (ch.  i.  27),  as  the  One  in  Whom 
are  hid  all  the  treasures  of  wisdom  and 
knowledge  (ch.  ii.  3).  There  is  no  mistiness 
here,  no  vagueness,  no  hesitation,  no  limita- 
tion, but  a  full,  free,  open  opportunity  for 
all  believers  to  become  acquainted  with 
Christ  in  His  Divine  fulness.  This  is  the 
crowning-point  of  the  Apostle's  prayer,  for 
in  the  full  knowledge  of  Christ  everything  else 
is  included.  This  knowledge,  at  once  in- 
tellectual, moral,  and  spiritual,  is  the  safe- 
guard from  all  error,  the  secret  of  all  pro- 
gress, and  the  guarantee  of  all  blessing. 
Let  this  prayer,  then,  be  our  constant  and 

87 


The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul 

careful  study.  We  shall  find  in  it  much  to 
rebuke  the  shallowness,  the  selfishness,  the 
dulness,  and  the  sluggishness  of  our  prayers  ; 
and  we  shall  also  find  in  it  a  model  of  in- 
struction, and  the  inspiration  of  all  true 
petition  and  intercession.  The  Christian 
who  learns  from  the  prayers  of  the  Apostle 
will  learn  some  of  the  deepest  secrets  of  the 
Christian  life. 


88 


VII. 
WISDOM  AND  REVELATION. 


VII. 
WISDOM  AND  REVELATION. 

"  Wherefore  I  also,  after  I  heard  of  your  faith  in  the 
Lord  Jesus,  and  love  unto  all  the  saints,  cease  not  to  give 
thanks  for  you,  making  mention  of  you  in  my  prayers ; 
that  the  God  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Father  of 
glory,  may  give  unto  you  the  spirit  of  wisdom  and  revela- 
tion in  the  knowledge  of  Him  ;  the  eyes  of  your  under- 
standing being  enlightened ;  that  ye  may  know  what  is 
the  hope  of  His  calling,  and  what  the  riches  of  the  glory 
of  His  inheritance  in  the  saints,  and  what  is  the  exceeding 
greatness  of  His  power  to  us-ward  who  believe,  according 
to  the  working  of  His  mighty  power."— Eph.  i.  15-19. 

If  prayer  for  others  is  a  barometer  of  our 
own  spiritual  life,  we  can  realise  what  St. 
Paul  felt  was  necessary  for  himself  by  his 
prayers  for  others.  In  Ephesians  there  are 
two  petitions,  and  nothing  fuller  and  deeper 
is  found  in  any  of  the  Apostle's  writings. 
This  Epistle  represents  the  high-water  marlj 
of  Christian  privilege  and  possibility. 

91 


The  Prayers  of  St.   Paul 

I.  The  Foundation. 

We  see  from  verse  15  that  his  prayer  is 
closely  and  definitely  based  on  what  precedes, 
and  this  introduces  us  to  a  feature  not 
hitherto  found.  Up  to  now  the  prayers  at 
the  opening  have  been  recorded  almost 
immediately  after  the  personal  greetings. 
But  here  a  long  paragraph  intervenes,  and 
the  prayer  is  not  recorded  until  after  fourteen 
verses  full  of  spiritual  teaching  have  been 
given.  This  section  deserves  special  attention 
because  it  is  the  basis  of  the  prayer.  Let  us 
review  it  briefly  in  order  to  obtain  the  true 
perspective  of  the  petition. 

The  key- thought  is  in  verse  3,  where  the 
Apostle  praises  God  for  having  actually 
blessed  them  "  with  all  spiritual  blessings  in 
heavenly  places  in  Christ."  Then  comes  a 
wonderful  statement  of  the  way  in  which 
these  blessings  had  become  their  own. 
{a)  They  had  been  eternally  purposed  in  God 
the  Father  (vers.  3-6^) ;  Q)  they  had  been 
historically  mediated  through  God  the  Son 
(vers.  63-12) ;  {c)  they  had  been  spiritually 
92 


Wisdom  and   Revelation 

applied  by  God  the  Spirit  (vers.  12-14). 
And  in  connection  with  each  Person  of  the 
Sacred  Trinity  practically  the  same  phrase 
occurs  in  this  paragraph,  showing  that  all  the 
blessings  were  given  in  order  that  they  might 
be  used  for  the  Divine  glory  :  "  To  the 
praise  of  the  glory  of  His  grace  "  (ver.  6) ; 
"To  the  praise  of  His  glory"  (ver.  12); 
"  To  the  praise  of  His  glory  "  (ver.  14). 

Now  it  is  upon  this  wealth  of  provision 
that  the  Apostle  bases  his  prayer  :  "  On  this 
account."  God  had  so  wonderfully  blessed 
them  in  Christ  by  His  Spirit,  and  this  fulness 
of  blessing  was  so  clearly  intended  to  be  used 
to  the  praise  and  glory  of  God  that  he  could 
pray,  as  he  does  here,  assured  that  the  answer 
would  come.  God's  revelation  of  Himself 
is  invariably  and  inevitably  the  foundation  of 
our  prayers.  Because  of  what  He  has  done 
and  is  doing  we  can  be  sure  of  grace.  Because 
His  power  has  provided  "  all  things  that 
pertain  to  life  and  godliness  "  we  can  be 
certain  of  power  for  daily  living. 


93 


The   Prayers  of  St.   Paul 

2.  The  Appeal. 

The  names  and  titles  of  God  are  par- 
ticularly noteworthy  and  are  always  full  of 
spiritual  significance,  shedding  light  on  the 
passages  in  which  they  occur.  St.  Paul  prays 
to  "  the  God  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 
This  title  as  it  stands  is  unique,  though  al- 
ready he  has  referred  to  "  the  God  and  Father 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  "  (ver.  3),  and  will 
refer  again  to  "  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  "  in  connection  with  prayer  (ch.  iii. 
14).  "  The  God  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  " 
seems  to  suggest  the  highest  point  and  peak 
of  power  and  grace.  God,  as  the  God  of 
Christ,  is  the  primary  source  of  all  blessing. 

He  is  also  ''  the  Father  of  Glory."  This, 
too,  is  a  phrase  not  found  elsewhere.  He  is 
the  Father  to  Whom  all  glory  belongs  as  its 
Divine  source.  In  Acts  vii.  2  He  is  "the 
God  of  glory,"  and  in  i  Cor.  ii.  8  Christ  is 
"  the  Lord  of  glory."  In  Rom.  vi.  4  Christ 
is  said  to  have  been  raised  from  the  dead 
"  by  the  glory  of  the  Father."  Glory  is  a 
characteristic    quality    of    God.     It    is    the 

94 


Wisdom  and  Revelation 

manifestation  of  His  splendour  and  the  out- 
shining of  His  excellence.  All  radiance,  all 
brightness,  all  magnificence  come  from  Him 
and  are  intended  to  be  returned  to  Him  in 
praise.  The  glory  of  God  in  Romans  is 
threefold  :  it  is  God's  proof  for  man's  past 
life  (ch.  iii.  23)  ;  it  is  God's  prospect  for 
man's  future  life  (ch.  v.  2)  ;  it  is  God's  prin- 
ciple for  man's  present  life  (ch.  xv.  7).  And 
the  association  of  glory  with  prayer  seems  to 
suggest  that  the  praise  of  His  glory  which  is 
to  characterise  our  life  can  only  come  from 
God  Himself  as  the  Father  of  glory.  If  our 
lives  are  to  be  lived  "  to  His  praise,"  His 
must  be  the  power.  If  our  lives  are  to 
manifest  His  glory,  His  must  be  the  grace. 
"  Thine  is  the  kingdom,  the  power,  and  the 
glory." 

3.  The  Request. 

Now  we  come  to  this  profound  prayer 
which  teaches  the  inmost  secrets  of  the 
spiritual  life. 

(i)  A  Divine  Gift.  "  May  give  to  you  a 
spirit  of  wisdom  and  revelation."  He  has 
95 


The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul 

spoken  of  the  wealth  of  blessing  stored  up  in 
Christ  (ver.  3),  and  of  God's  grace  abounding 
to  us  in  all  wisdom  and  prudence  (ver.  8). 
Now  he  asks  for  wisdom  and  illumination  to 
perceive  all  this  for  themselves  as  a  personal 
experience.  The  word  "  spirit  "  seems  to 
refer  to  their  human  faculty,  though  of 
course  as  indwelt  and  possessed  by  the 
Divine  Spirit.  But  the  absence  of  the  de- 
finite article  from  the  word  "  spirit  "  seems 
to  suggest  a  gift  rather  than  a  Person.  The 
Holy  Spirit  of  God  enters  into  our  spirit, 
and  the  result  is  vdsdom  and  revelation. 
These  two  words  refer  to  general  illumination 
and  specific  enlightenment.  He  desires  his 
readers  to  enter  fully  into  the  meaning  of 
these  great  realities  to  which  he  has  given 
such  full  expression  (vers.  1-14). 

(2)  But  this  Divine  gift  is  only  possible  by 
means  of  a  simple  yet  important  condition. 
It  is  "  in  the  full  knowledge  of  Him."  The 
word  rendered  "  knowledge  "  is  characteristic 
of  these  prison  epistles,  and  always  means 
"  full  knowledge,"  the  mature  experience  of 
the    spiritual   man.     It   is   invariably  con- 

96 


Wisdom  and  Revelation 

nected  with  God  ;  it  refers  to  the  deep, 
growing,  ripening  consciousness  which  comes 
from  personal  fellowship  with  Him.  Phil- 
osophy can  only  say  "  Know  thyself,"  but 
Scripture  says,  "  Know  God."  This  is  how 
wisdom  and  revelation  become  ours,  and 
Christian  history  and  experience  testify 
abundantly  to  the  simple  yet  remarkable  fact 
of  spiritual  insight  and  moral  understanding 
which  are  due  solely  to  fellowship  with  God. 
Nothing  is  more  striking  than  the  fact  of  a 
deep,  spiritual  apprehension  and  appreciation 
which  are  independent  of  intellectual  con- 
ception and  verbal  expression.  Believers  can 
have  a  true  spiritual  consciousness  of  God 
without  the  possession  of  great  capacity  or 
attainments.  Many  whose  natural  education 
and  intellectual  opportunities  have  been 
slight  have  had  this  spiritual  perception  in 
an  uncommon  degree,  and  it  always  marks 
the  spiritually  ripe  Christian.  It  is  not  the 
one  whose  intellectual  knowledge  is  critical, 
scholarly,  and  profound,  but  he  whose  spiritual 
insight  is  suffused  with  grace,  love,  and  fellow- 
ship.   This    does    not    mean    that    natural 

97 


The  Prayers  of  St.   Paul 

knowledge  or  culture  is  to  be  despised  or 
avoided  as  evil,  but  that  the  two  kinds  of 
knowledge  should  be  carefully  distinguished. 
The  Christian  Church  has  at  least  for  the 
last  three  hundred  years  set  great  store  by 
knowledge  and  science,  but  deeper  than  all 
this  is  the  spiritual  instinct,  insight,  know- 
ledge, and  illumination  which  constitute  the 
supreme  requirement  of  the  true  Christian 
life.  We  can  see  this  spiritual  perception  in 
its  various  stages  in  several  passages  of  the 
New  Testament.  We  have  seen  how  St. 
John  divides  believers  into  three  classes 
(i  John  ii.  12-14).  But  while  in  his  repeti- 
tion the  Apostle  can  vary  the  description 
of  the  "  children  "  and  the  "  young  men," 
when  he  has  to  speak  the  second  time  of  the 
"  fathers  "  he  has  nothing  new  to  say,  for  they 
cannot  be  otherwise  or  more  fully  described 
than  as  those  who  "  know  Him  Who  is  from 
the  beginning." 

(3)  The  immediate  consequence  of  this 
fellowship  is  that  the  eyes  of  the  heart 
become  permanently  enlightened  (Greek). 
Keeping  in  view  the  Scripture  truth  of  the 

98 


Wisdom  and   Revelation 

"  heart  "  as  including  the  elements  of  Mind, 
Emotion,  and  Will,  the  result  of  fellowship 
with  God  is  that  every  feature  of  the  inner 
life  becomes  purified  and  enlightened.  The 
mind  is  illuminated  to  perceive  truth,  the 
emotions  are  purified  to  love  the  good,  and 
the  will  is  equipped  to  obey  the  right.  It  is 
not  that  new  objects  meet  the  gaze  so  much 
as  that  a  new  and  deeper  perception  is  given 
to  enable  the  heart  to  see  and  understand 
what  had  hitherto  been  dark  and  difhcult. 
This  illuminated  heart  is  one  of  the  choicest 
blessings  of  the  spiritual  life  and  one  of  the 
greatest  safeguards  against  spiritual  error. 
"  Ye  have  an  unction  .  .  .  and  ye  know  " 
(i  John  ii.  20).  "The  Son  of  God  hath 
come,  and  hath  given  us  an  understanding  " 
(i  John  V.  20).  Many  of  the  problems 
affecting  the  spiritual  life  are  solved  only  in 
this  way.  Criticism,  scholarship,  intellectual 
power  may  be  brought  to  bear  upon  them, 
but  they  will  not  yield  to  this  treatment. 
The  illuminated  heart  of  the  babe  in  Christ 
is  often  enabled  to  understand  secrets  which 
are  hid  from  the  wise  and  prudent. 

99 


The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul 

(4)  The  outcome  is  a  permanent  spiritual 
experience.  "That  ye  may  know,"  i.^, 
possess  an  immediate,  instinctive,  direct 
knowledge  (elBhai).  Three  great  realities  are 
thereupon  mentioned  as  the  objects  and 
substance  of  our  spiritual  knowledge. 

(a)  The  first  is  "  What  is  the  hope  of  His 
calling."  "His  calling"  is  the  appeal  and 
offer  of  the  Gospel  with  all  its  Divine  mean- 
ing and  purpose,  and  "  the  hope  of  His 
calling  "  is  that  which  is  intended  by  and 
included  in  the  offer  of  God.  This  "  hope  " 
is  either  that  to  which  God  calls  us,  or  by 
which  He  calls  ;  either  objective  or  sub- 
jective ;  either  the  substance  or  the  feeling. 
Hope  when  regarded  as  objective,  as  the 
substance  of  our  experience,  is  full  of  promise, 
on  which  the  behever  fixes  his  faith.  Hope 
when  regarded  as  subjective,  as  the  possession 
of  the  soul,  is  full  of  inspiration,  as  it  en- 
courages and  confirms  belief  that  "  He  is 
faithful  that  promised."  Hope  as  an  ob- 
jective reality  is  fixed  on  Christ,  and  since 
God  has  a  purpose  in  calling  us,  we  can  exer- 
cise hope.  Hope  as  a  subjective  realisation 
100 


Wisdom  and  Revelation 

is  based  on  the  fact  of  experience.  God  calls 
us  by  the  Gospel,  and  therefore  hope  becomes 
possible.  Hope  is  the  top-stone  of  life  and 
follows  faith  and  love  (cf.  ver.  15).  Faith 
draws  the  curtain  aside  ;  hope  gazes  into  the 
future  ;  while  love  rejoices  in  the  present 
possession  of  Christ.  Faith  accepts  ;  hope 
expects.  Faith  appropriates ;  hope  an- 
ticipates. Faith  is  concerned  with  the  per- 
son who  promises ;  hope  with  the  thing  that 
theperson  promises.  Faith  is  concerned  with 
the  past  and  present ;  hope  with  the  future 
alone.  Hope  is  invariably  fixed  on  the  future 
and  is  never  to  be  regarded  as  merely  a 
matter  of  natural  temperament.  It  is 
specifically  connected  with  the  Lord's 
Coming,  and  we  are  thus  reminded  that  the 
calling  of  God  covers  past,  present,  and 
future.  It  starts  from  regeneration  and 
culminates  in  the  resurrection  of  the  body 
at  the  Coming  of  Christ. 

{b)  The  second  is  "  The  riches  of  the  glory 

of  His  inheritance  in  the  saints."     This  may 

mean  the  wealth  which  God   possesses  for 

them  or  in  them ;  our  wealth  in  Him  or  His 

lOI 


The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul 

in  us.  If  we  take  it  in  the  former  sense  it 
will  mean  that  God  is  the  inheritance  and  we 
are  the  heirs ;  that  the  saints  now  possess  im- 
perfectly, and  anticipate  in  its  fulness,  the 
inheritance  of  grace,  the  spiritual  Canaan 
which  they  are  to  enjoy  here  and  hereafter. 
If,  however,  we  take  it,  as  is  more  likely,  in 
the  latter  sense,  it  will  mean  that  we  are  the 
inheritance  and  God  is  the  Possessor  and 
Heir.  We  must  never  forget  that  the  BibUcal 
ideas  associated  with  "  heir "  and  "  in- 
heritance "  always  refer  to  possession,  and 
not,  as  in  ordinary  phraseology,  to  succession. 
In  the  Bible  the  heir  does  not  merely  expect, 
but  already  enjoys  in  part  that  which  he  will 
possess  in  full  hereafter.  Adopting,  then, 
the  second  of  these  interpretations,  the  saints 
belong  to  God  and  are  precious  in  His  sight. 
They  are  His  ^eculium,  or  special  treasure, 
like  Israel  of  old  (Deut.  iv.  20).  They  have 
been  formed  for  Him  and  are  to  show  forth 
His  praise  (Isa.  xliii.  21).  He  sets  store  by 
them,  as  is  suggested  by  the  significant  words, 
"  Hast  thou  considered  My  servant  Job  ?  " 
There  are  several  indications  in  Scripture  that 
102 


Wisdom  and  Revelation 

God  values  and  trusts  His  people  ;  "  I  know 
him,  that  he  will  command  his  children  and 
his  household  after  him  "  (Gen.  xviii.  19). 
"  The  Lord  taketh  pleasure  in  His  people  " 
(Ps.  cxlix.  4).  "  The  steps  of  a  good  man 
are  ordered  hy  the  Lord  :  and  He  (that  is, 
God)  delighteth  in  his  way "  (Ps.  xxxvii. 
23).  And  the  "  wealth  "  is  a  further  proof 
of  the  value  placed  on  believers  hy  God. 
Five  times  in  Ephesians  the  Apostle  uses  this 
metaphor  of  "  riches,"  showing  his  thought 
of  those  who  have  been  "  bought  with  a 
price  "  (i  Cor.  v.  20).  Believers  are  God's 
riches,  wealth,  treasure  ;  they  belong  to  Him 
in  view  of  that  day  on  which  He  will  enter  in 
full  upon  His  inheritance  when  He  comes  to 
be  glorified  and  admired  in  them  that  believe 
(2  Thess.  i.  10).  And  we  are  to  see  this,  to 
know  it,  to  reaHse  the  spiritual  possibilities  of 
each  believer  and  all  God's  people  together 
as  God's  own  inheritance. 

(c)  The  third  is  "  the  exceeding  greatness 
of  His  power  to  us-ward  who  believe."     In 
this    marvellous    association    of    almost    in- 
expressible thoughts  the  dominant  note  is 
103 


The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul 

"  power  "  (Bvpa/j^isi),  and  the  Apostle  prays 
that  the  Ephesian  Christians  may  know  what 
this  means.  Power  is  a  characteristic  word 
of  St.  Paul  as  expressive  of  Christianity. 
The  Gospel  is  "  the  power  of  God  unto  sal- 
vation "  (Rom.  i.  1 6).  By  the  Resurrection 
Christ  was  designated  "  the  Son  of  God  with 
power  "  (Rom.  i.  4).  He  is  "  the  power  of 
God  "  (i  Cor.  i.  18).  Man  needs  power,  not 
merely  a  philosophy  or  an  ethic,  but  a 
dynamic,  and  it  is  the  peculiar  privilege  of 
His  Gospel  to  bring  this  to  us.  But  let  us 
try  to  analyse  this  power.  There  are  no  less 
than  four  comparisons  stated  or  illustrations 
given,  (i)  It  is  exactly  the  same  power  that 
God  wrought  in  Christ  at  the  Resurrection. 
Nothing  less  than  this  is  the  standard  of  the 
Divine  working.  We  are  to  possess  and  ex- 
perience the  spiritual  and  moral  dynamic 
exercised  by  God  on  Christ  when  He  raised 
Him  from  the  dead.  This  is  described  as 
"  the  exceeding  greatness  of  His  power." 
The  same  adjective  is  used  of  grace  (ch.  ii.  7), 
and  of  love  (ch.  iii.  19),  and  it  is  intended  to 
express  the  superabundance  of  that  power 
104 


Wisdom  and  Revelation 

which  was  put  forth  in  the  Resurrection 
and  is  now  exercised  on  our  behalf.  Then 
the  four  words  used  for  power  are  particu- 
larly noteworthy  :  "  power,"  "  energy," 
"  strength,"  "  might."  Each  conveys  an 
aspect  of  this  great  spiritual  force.  "  Might  " 
is  power  in  possession  ;  "  strength  "  is  power 
as  the  result  of  grasping,  or  of  coming  into 
contact  with  the  source  of  that  power ;  and 
"  energy  "  is  a  power  in  expression.  (2)  Not 
only  so,  but  the  power  exercised  by  God  in 
the  Ascension  is  also  intended  to  be  bestowed 
on  and  experienced  by  us.  When  we  are 
told  that  Christ  was  set  at  God's  right  hand 
far  above  all  powers,  we  can  understand 
something  of  the  Divine  might  exercised. 
(3)  Still  more,  it  is  the  same  power  by  means 
of  which  God  put  all  things  under  the  feet 
of  Christ.  This,  too,  is  the  Divine  force  and 
energy  for  believers.  (4)  Not  least  of  all,  it 
was  Divine  power  that  gave  Christ  to  be 
"  the  Head  over  all  things  to  the  Church," 
and  it  is  exactly  this  power  that  is  exercised 
on  our  behalf.  When  we  contemplate  all  this 
as  intended  by  God  for  us,  we  can  see  some- 
105 


The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul 

thing  of  the  vigorous  and  victorious  life  He 
can  and  will  enable  us  to  live. 

As  we  review  this  wonderful  prayer  it  is 
impossible  to  avoid  noticing  that  the  first 
petition  refers  mainly  to  the  past  ("  His 
calling  ")  ;  the  second  mainly  to  the  future 
("  His  inheritance  ")  ;  and  the  third  mainly 
to  the  present  ("  His  power  "),  though  of 
course  each  petition  has  its  bearing  on  the 
other  two  points  of  time.  Every  part  of  our 
life  is  thus  adequately  suppHed  and  intended 
to  be  abundantly  satisfied.  Nor  may  we 
omit  to  observe  that  all  through  the  prayer 
the  emphasis  is  on  God  :  His  calling ;  His 
inheritance ;  His  power.  Everything  is  re- 
garded from  the  Divine  standpoint,  because 
we  are  not  our  own  but  His.  The  con- 
templation of  this  glory  of  the  Divine  love 
and  grace  overwhelms  the  soul  with  "wonder, 
love,  and  praise." 

In  the  presence  of  such  a  prayer,  dealing 
with  such  profound  realities,  three  thoughts 
naturally  arise  in  our  minds,  {a)  How  little 
we  know,  and  how  much  we  might  and  should 
know.  Q?)  How  little  we  are,  and  how  much 
I06 


Wisdom  and  Revelation 

we  might  and  should  be.  (c)  How  little  we 
do,  and  how  much  we  might  and  should  do. 
And  yet  if  we  will  but  remind  ourselves  of 
the  simple  secret  of  true  living,  as  here  de- 
scribed, we  might  become  and  accomplish 
infinitely  more  than  we  have  ever  experienced 
up  to  the  present.  "  To  us-ward  who 
believe."  Faith  is  the  simple  yet  all-sufficient 
secret.  Trust  relies  on  God  and  receives 
from  Him.  It  puts  us  in  contact  with  the 
source  of  blessing,  and  in  union  with  Him 
we  shall  find  spiritual  illumination,  spiritual 
insight,  spiritual  experience,  and  spiritual 
power  that  shall  all  be  lived  and  exercised  to 
His  praise  and  glory. 


107 


VIII. 
STRENGTH  AND  INDWELLING. 


VIII. 
STRENGTH  AND  INDWELLING. 

"  For  this  cause  I  bow  my  knees  unto  the  Father  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  of  Whom  the  whole  family  in 
heaven  and  earth  is  named,  that  He  would  grant  you, 
according  to  the  riches  of  His  glory,  to  be  strengthened 
with  might  by  His  Spirit  in  the  inner  man  ;  that  Christ 
may  dwell  in  your  hearts  by  faith ;  that  ye,  being  rooted 
and  grounded  in  love,  may  be  able  to  comprehend  with 
all  saints  what  is  the  breadth,  and  length,  and  depth,  and 
height;  and  to  know  the  love  of  Christ,  which  passeth 
knowledge,  that  ye  might  be  filled  with  all  the  fulness  of 
God." — Eph.  iii.  14-19. 

"  In  no  part  of  PauFs  letters  does  he  rise  to  a  higher 
level  than  in  his  prayers,  and  none  of  his  prayers  are  fuller 
of  fervour  than  this  wonderful  series  of  petitions.  They 
open  out  one  into  the  other  like  some  majestic  suite  of 
apartments  in  a  great  i  palace-temple,  each  leading  into 
a  loftier  and  more  spacious  hall,  each  drawing  nearer 
the  presence  chamber,  until  at  last  we  stand  there" 
(Maclaren). 

The  second  prayer  in  Ephesians  possesses 

remarkable  affinities  with  the  first ;   indeed, 

III 


The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul 

the  two  are  complementary,  and  many  of 
the  expressions  call  for  close  comparison. 

I.  The  Standpoint. 

"  For  this  cause "  (ver.  14).  To  what 
does  this  phrase  point  back  ?  Some  associate 
it  with  verse  i,  "  For  this  cause,"  thinking 
that  St.  Paul,  having  been  diverted  from  his 
main  teaching  in  verses  1-13,  here  resumes  it 
in  the  form  of  a  prayer.  But  perhaps  it  is 
still  better  to  regard  the  resumption  of  the 
main  teaching  as  coming  in  ch.  iv.  i,  where 
the  Apostle  again  speaks  of  himself  as  "  the 
prisoner."  This  would  make  ch.  iii.  wholly 
parenthetical,  so  that  instead  of  the  present 
prayer  being  based  on  the  teaching  of  ch.  ii. 
the  Apostle  is  led  here  to  speak  of  his  ministry 
(ch.  iii.  I -1 3)  and  its  outcome.  His  ministry 
is  a  gift,  a  trust,  a  stewardship,  and  its  purpose 
is  the  proclamation  of  the  Gospel  and  its 
results  in  the  accomplishment  of  God's  pur- 
poses for  Jew  and  Gentile.  On  this  view  the 
standpoint  of  the  prayer  is  associated  closely 
with  his  ministry  and  its  effects,  as  seen  in 
the  immediately  preceding  verses.  It  is 
112 


Strength  and   Indwelling 

because  of  his  remarkable  ministry,  given  to 
him  by  God,  and  all  the  spiritual  privileges 
brought  to  the  Gentile  Christians  thereby 
that  he  is  able  to  work  for  them  (ver.  13), 
and  also  to  pray  for  them  (ver.  14).  Thus, 
while  the  prayer  in  ch.  i.  looks  at  their  life 
from  the  standpoint  of  the  Divine  purposes, 
this  prayer  will  be  occupied  with  their 
spiritual  privileges  in  Christ. 

2.  The  Attitude. 

"  I  bow  my  knees  unto  the  Father  "  (ver. 
14).  The  intense  reverence  of  the  Apostle  in 
this  allusion  to  bowing  his  knees  is  particularly 
noteworthy.  As  a  rule  the  Jews  stood  for 
prayer  (Luke  xviii.  11-13),  and  prostration 
seems  to  have  been  an  exceptional  posture. 
But  in  connection  with  Christians,  kneeling 
is  mentioned  (Acts  vii.  60,  ix.  40,  xx.  36). 
Nothing  could  more  beautifully  express  the 
true  attitude  of  the  soul  before  God  than 
this  posture  of  the  body.  At  the  same  time 
the  use  of  the  word  "  Father  "  indicates  the 
other  side  of  the  truth  and  confidence  with 
which  we  approach  God.  He  is  at  once  our 
113 


The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul 

God  and  our  Father  (ch.  i.  17),  and  oui 
attitude  must  be  expressive  both  of  our 
adoration  and  of  our  assurance.  He  is 
great  and  good,  and  we  approach  Him  as  the 
Holy  One  and  the  Loving  One. 

3.  The  Address. 

"  The  Father  from  Whom  every  family  in 
heaven  and  earth  is  named."  It  is  interest- 
ing that  the  title  "  God  "  is  not  associated 
with  this  prayer  as  in  ch.  i.,  although  the 
thought  of  Deity  is  found  in  the  allusion  to 
bowing  the  knees.  And  in  addition  to  God 
as  the  Father  He  is  described  as  the  One 
"  from  Whom  every  family  (Greek,  '  father- 
hood ')  in  heaven  and  earth  is  named."  This 
seems  to  mean  that  whatever  element  of 
family  life  exists,  it  comes  from  God,  that  all 
true  spiritual  life  in  heaven  or  earth  has  its 
origin  in  the  Father.  The  scope  of  the  prayer 
is  particularly  noteworthy,  as  we  contemplate 
God  as  the  Fount  of  every  fatherhood  and 
the  Parent  of  all  men  everywhere.  Such 
a  statement  will  do  more  than  anything 
else  to  guard  us  against  narrow  or  purely 
114 


Strength  and  Indwelling 

selfish    desires    as    we    approach    God     in 
prayer. 

4.  The  Appeal. 

"That  He  would  grant  you"  (ver.  16). 
As  in  the  former  prayer,  the  Apostle  is  clear 
that  what  he  is  about  to  ask  is  essentially  a 
Divine  gift.  It  comes  from  above,  whether 
he  is  seeking  knowledge  (ch.  i.  17)  or  power 
(ch.  iii.  16).  At  every  step  God  must  give 
and  the  believer  must  receive.  It  would  be 
well  for  us  in  our  Christian  experience  to 
emphasise  this  simple  but  searching  truth. 
"  Every  good  and  every  perfect  gift  comes 
from  above." 

5.  The  Standard. 

"  According  to  the  riches  of  His  glory  " 
(ver.   16).     Here  again  we  begin  to  realise 
something  of  the  fulness  of  the  prayer  to  be 
offered.     The    measure    of    the    Apostle's 
desire  is  not  our  own  poverty,  but  God's     , 
wealth  ;  we  are  to  look  away  from  ourselves     I 
to  the  infinite  riches  of  the  Divine  glory.   J 
In  the  former  prayer  he  asked  that  we  might 
115 


The  Prayers  of  St.   Paul 

know  the  riches  of  God's  ijlory.  But  here 
there  is  something  more ;  Wt  are  to  experi- 
ence them  in  our  heart  and  Hfe. 

6.  The  Petitions. 

In  general  St.  Paul  asks  for  two  great 
spiritual  blessings,  the  inward  strength  of  the 
H0I7  Spirit  and  the  indwelling  presence  of 
Christ.  These  are  inseparable,  and  we  may 
regard  the  first  as  essential  to  the  second,  and 
the  second  as  the  effect  of  the  first.  But 
the  prayer  goes  into  detail  and  each  part  of 
the  petition  calls  for  careful  meditation. 

(i)  "  Strengthened  with  power  through 
His  Spirit  in  the  inward  man "  (ver.  16, 
R.V.).  As  wisdom  was  the  burden  of 
the  former  prayer  (ch.  i.  17),  so  strength  is 
the  main  thought  here.  The  order,  too,  is 
significant ;  wisdom  and  power,  since  power 
without  knowledge  would  be  highly  danger- 
ous. This  strength  comes  from  the  Holy 
Spirit ;  He  is  the  Agent  of  God's  enabling 
grace.  And  the  strength  is  to  extend  "  into 
the  inward  man."  The  contrast  seems  to  be 
between  the  inward  and  the  outward,  as  in 
116 


Strength  and   Indwelling 

2  Cor.  iv.  i6  ;  Rom.  vii.  22.  The  strength 
is  not  of  the  body,  or  of  the  mind,  but  of  the 
souL  The  "  inward  "  is  not  exactly  identical 
with  the  "  new  "  man,  but  emphasises  the 
inner  essential  life  of  the  spirit  as  contrasted 
with  the  outer  life  of  the  body.  "  The 
hidden  man  of  the  heart." 

(2)  "  That  Christ  may  dwell  in  your  hearts 
through  faith"  (ver.  17,  R.V.).  This 
is  the  outcome  of  the  inward  strength 
of  the  Spirit,  and  almost  every  word  needs 
attention.  The  indwelling  of  Christ  is 
virtually  identical  with  that  of  the  Spirit 
(ch.  ii.  22),  although  of  course  Christ  and  the 
Holy  Spirit  are  never  absolutely  identified  in 
Holy  Scripture  (2  Cor.  iii.  17,  18).  It  is  only 
in  regard  to  the  practical  outcome  in  the 
believer's  experience  that  the  indwelling  of 
Christ  and  the  Spirit  amount  to  the  same 
thing.  This  is  to  be  a  permanent  indwelling 
and  not  a  mere  passing  stay,  just  as  believers 
together  are  described  as  a  temple  for  God's 
permanent  habitation  (ch.  ii.  22,  Greek). 
This  permanent  indwelling  of  Christ  is  to  be 
"  in  your  hearts."  Almost  every  prayer  is 
117 


The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul 

thus  concerned  with  the  "  heart,"  the  centre 
of  the  moral  being,  and  the  Apostle  prays 
that  Christ  may  make  His  home  therein. 
This  is  no  mere  influence,  but  a  Personal 
Presence,  the  Living  Christ  within,  and  it  is 
to  be  "  through  faith."  It  is  faith  that 
admits  Christ  to  the  heart,  allowing  Him  to 
enter  into  every  part  of  the  "  inward  man." 
And  the  same  faith  that  admits  Him  permits 
Him  to  remain,  reside,  and  rule.  Faith,  in  a 
word,  is  the  total  response  of  the  soul  to  the 
Lordship  of  Christ. 

(3)  "  That  ye,  being  rooted  and  grounded 
in  love  "  (ver.  17).  Here  again  the  original 
expressions  imply  permanent  results,  and  the 
two  words  "  rooted  "  and  "  grounded  "  are 
beautifully  complementary.  The  one  refers 
to  a  tree,  the  other  to  a  house,  and  the  ex- 
pressions point  to  those  hidden  processes  of 
the  soul  which  are  the  result  of  Christ's  in- 
dwelling and  the  Holy  Spirit's  working.  The 
power  of  the  Spirit  and  the  indwelling  of 
Christ  tend  to  our  permanent  inward  estab- 
lishment in  the  element  and  atmosphere 
of  Christian  love.  This  is  one  of  the  seven 
118 


Strength  and  Indwelling 

occasions  in  this  short  Epistle  where  we  find 
the  Pauline  phrase,  "  in  love,"  referring  to 
the  sphere  and  atmosphere  of  our  fellowship 
with  God.  The  love  no  doubt  means 
primarily  and  perhaps  almost  exclusively 
God's  love  to  us,  as  that  in  which  we  are 
to  "  live,  and  move,  and  have  our  being." 

(4)  "  May  be  strong  to  apprehend  with 
all  the  saints  what  is  the  breadth  and  length 
and  height  and  depth"  (ver.  18,  R.V.). 
Here  again  the  emphasis  is  on  strength, 
and  the  Apostle  prays  that  we  may  have 
full  strength  to  grasp,  may  be  quite  able 
to  accomplish  this  purpose.  Spiritual  ideas 
can  never  be  appropriated  by  intellectual 
action  alone.  It  is  not  by  brilliant  intellect 
but  by  spiritual  insight  that  we  become  "  able 
to  comprehend."  Although  there  is  now  no 
specific  reference  to  love,  it  would  seem  as 
though  the  idea  of  verse  19  is  already  in  view, 
and,  assuming  this  to  be  the  case,  we  have  four 
aspects  of  the  Divine  love  which  we  are  to  be 
strong  to  grasp.  Its  "  breadth  "  means  that 
there  is  no  barrier  to  it,  reminding  us  of  the 
extent  of  the  Divine  counsels ;  its  "  length  " 
119 


The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul 

tells  us  of  the  Divine  foreknowledge  and  His 
thought  of  us  through  the  ages ;  its  "  height  " 
points  to  our  Lord  in  heaven  as  the  goal  for 
the  penitent  believer  ;  its  "  depth  "  declares 
the  possibility  of  love  descending  to  the  lost 
abyss  of  human  misery  for  the  purpose  of 
redemption.  And  the  ability  to  grasp  the 
Divine  love  in  this  fourfold  way  is  to  be 
experienced  with  "  all  the  saints."  It  is 
impossible  to  accomplish  it  alone  ;  no  spiritual 
exclusiveness  is  thinkable  in  this  connection, 
to  say  nothing  of  the  lower  forms  of  egotism 
and  selfishness.  Twice  in  this  brief  writing 
does  the  Apostle  refer  to  "  all  the  saints  " 
(ch.  vi.  1 8),  thereby  reminding  us  of  the  place 
and  power  of  each  saint  in  the  spiritual 
economy  of  God.  One  saint  will  be  able  to 
comprehend  a  little,  another  saint  a  little 
more,  and  so  on,  until  at  length  all  the  saints 
together  are  "  strong  to  grasp  "  the  Divine 
love.  The  wider  our  fellowship  the  fuller 
and  firmer  our  hold  of  the  love  of  Christ. 
This  is  doubtless  why  pubHc  worship  is  so 
strongly  emphasised  in  the  New  Testament. 
"  Where  two  or  three  are  gathered  together 
120 


Strength  and   Indwelling 

in  My  Name,  there  am  I."  The  experiences 
of  our  fellow- worshippers  are  always  intended 
to  be,  and  usually  will  be,  of  help  to  our  own 
fuller  realisation  of  our  Lord  and  Master. 
The  soul  is  justified  solitarily  and  alone,  but 
it  is  sanctified  only  in  the  community  of 
believers. 

(5)  "  And  to  know  the  love  of  Christ 
which  passeth  knowledge  "  (ver.  19).  If  we 
are  correct  in  interpreting  verse  18  of  the 
Divine  love,  the  present  verse  will  be  the 
climax  of  this  part  of  the  prayer,  and  it  has 
been  helpfully  suggested  that  we  have  here 
the  "  fifth  dimension  "  of  the  love  of  Christ 
after  the  four  already  mentioned.  Not  only 
are  they  to  experience  breadth  and  length 
and  height  and  depth  but  also  the  inward- 
ness ;  they  are  to  know  by  personal  experience 
the  love  of  Christ  as  it  can  only  be  known  by 
those  who  have  fellowship  with  Him.  It  is 
a  love  that  surpasses  knowledge,  just  as  His 
power  surpasses  everything  (ch.  i.  19).  The 
paradox  of  knowing  that  which  surpasses 
knowledge  will  not  be  misunderstood  from 
the  standpoint  of  spiritual  experience,  because 
121 


The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul 

it  is  the  difference  between  apprehending 
and  comprehending.  We  know,  and  know 
deeply,  increasingly,  blessedly,  and  yet  all 
the  while  there  are  infinite  stretches  of 
love  beyond  our  highest  experiences. 

(6)  "  That  ye  may  be  filled  unto  all  the 
fulness  of  God"  (ver.  19,  R.V.).  This 
is  the  climax  of  the  prayer  and  is  the  cul- 
minating purpose  of  the  work  of  the  Spirit 
and  the  indwelling  of  Christ.  Strength, 
indwelling,  love,  and  knowledge  are  to  issue 
in  fulness,  and  we  are  to  be  "  filled  unto  all 
the  fulness  of  God."  In  the  former  prayer 
this  fulness  is  associated  with  Christ  and  with 
His  body  the  Church  (ch.  i.  23),  but  here  it 
is  specifically  associated  with  God  and  our- 
selves as  believers  in  Christ.  When  these 
two  passages  are  associated  with  ch.  v.  18, 
which  speaks  of  the  fulness  of  the  Spirit,  we 
have  the  word  "  fulness  "  connected  with 
each  Person  of  the  Blessed  Trinity.  What  it 
means  for  the  soul  to  be  filled  to  overflowing 
with  the  presence  of  God  itself  is  beyond  our 
comprehension  ;  it  can  only  be  a  matter  of 
personal  experience  as  we  seek  to  fulfil  the 
122 


Strength  and  Indwelling 

proper  conditions.  Such  a  prayer  for  the 
fulness  of  God  is  best  expressed  in  Miss 
HavergaPs  words — 

**Lord,  we  ask  it,  scarcely  knowing 
What  this  wondrous  gift  may  be ; 
But  fulfil  to  overflowing, 

Tby  great  meaning  let  us  see.'* 


123 


IX. 

LOVE  AND  DISCERNMENT. 


IX. 

LOVE  AND  DISCERNMENT. 

**  And  this  I  pray,  that  your  love  may  abound  yet  more 
and  more  In  knowledge  and  all  judgment :  that  ye  may 
approve  things  that  are  excellent ;  that  ye  may  be  sincere 
and  without  offence  till  the  day  of  Christ ;  being  filled 
with  the  fruits  of  righteousness,  which  are  by  Jesus 
Christ,  unto  the  glory  and  praise  of  God." — Phil.  i. 
9-1 1. 

One  of  the  most  beautiful  elements  in  the 
Pauline  Epistles  is  the  intimate  relation  which 
evidently  existed  between  the  Apostle  and 
his  converts.  This  is  especially  the  case  in 
the  Epistle  to  the  Philippians,  for  in  no  other 
writing  is  there  such  a  full  revelation  of  the 
heart  of  St.  Paul  and  of  his  love  to  those  with 
whom  he  was  united  in  Christ.  As,  there- 
fore, he  knew  them  so  intimately,  so  he  prayed 
for  them,  the  prayer  revealing  at  once  their 
need,  and  his  conviction  as  to  essential  things. 
127 


The   Prayers  of  St.   Paul 

Prayer  is  always  strong  in  proportion  to  our 
acquaintance  with  the  spiritual  life  of  others, 
and  feeble  so  far  as  we  are  ignorant  of  their 
needs. 

I.  The  Definite  Request. 

Let  us  mark  the  opening  words  :  "  this  I 
keep  on  asking "  (Greek).  There  was  one 
thing  for  which  he  asked  continually,  and 
this  seemed  to  him  to  sum  up  everything  in 
their  life. 

(i)  He  prayed  for  love  ;  "  your  love." 
As  they  already  possessed  life,  he  wished  it  to 
be  expressed  in  love.  The  Epistle  is  full  of 
this  subject.  No  writing  is  so  truly  character- 
ised by  the  love  of  St.  Paul  for  his  converts, 
or  of  his  converts  for  St.  Paul  (see  ch.  iv. 
14-18).  Let  us  again  remind  ourselves  that 
love  in  the  New  Testament  is  something 
definite,  tangible,  strong,  practical,  intense. 
It  is  more  than  sentiment,  though  of  course 
it  includes  that ;  it  is  more  than  emotion, 
though  undoubtedly  it  includes  that ;  it  is 
more  than  desire,  though  obviously  it  includes 
that.  Love  is  the  outgoing  of  the  entire 
128 


Love  and   Discernment 

nature  in  self-sacrificing  service.  It  is  the 
sympathy  of  the  heart  and  the  devotion  of 
the  life  to  its  object.  As  such  it  is  the 
supreme  proof  of  the  reality  of  our  Christian 
profession.  "  If  ye  love  Me,  ye  will  keep 
My  commandments"  (John  xiv.  15,  R.V.). 
"  Lovest  thou  Me  .  .  .  feed  My  sheep  " 
(John  xxi.  16).  "  Seeing  ye  have  purified 
your  souls  .  .  .  love  one  another  from  the 
heart  unfeignedly "  (i  Pet.  i.  22,  R.V.). 
It  was  with  no  cynicism,  but  with  a 
wonderful  astonishment,  that  the  heathen 
used  to  say,  "  See  how  these  Christians  love 
one  another."  When  therefore  the  Apostle 
prayed  for  love  he  was  asking  that  the 
Philippian  Christians  might  possess  and  mani- 
fest the  very  finest,  truest,  most  powerful, 
and  most  attractive  proof  of  their  Christian 
life. 

(2)  He  prayed  for  abounding  love ;  "that 
your  love  may  abound."  Not  only  some,  but 
abundant  love ;  not  a  little,  but  much. 
Love  to  be  real  must  be  kept  full,  intense, 
overflowing  ;  it  calls  for  continual  reinforce- 
ment, replenishing,  and  the  abundance  of 
129 


The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul 

love  is  the  measure  and  proof  of  the  possession 
of  abundant  Hfe. 

(3)  He  prayed  for  increasing  love  ;  "  that 
your  love  may  abound  yet  more  and  more." 
Expression  is  piled  upon  expression  in  order 
to  emphasise  the  importance  of  love  and 
its  progress.  Love  is  intended  to  grow  and 
not  to  remain  stationary.  Just  as  life  makes 
progress,  so  must  its  result  similarly  develop 
in  love.  The  motto  for  the  Christian  is 
"  more  and  more."  This  is  v^hy  there  is  so 
much  in  the  New  Testament  about  growth, 
for  just  as  it  is  with  natural  life  so  it  must  be 
with  spiritual.  Constant  increase,  develop- 
ment, progress,  extension,  expansion,  must 
mark  it  at  every  step. 

(4)  He  prayed  for  discerning  love  ;  "  that 
your  love  may  abound  yet  more  and 
more  in  knowledge  and  all  discernment " 
(R.V.).  The  two  words  "  knowledge " 
and  "  discernment  "  are  particularly  note- 
worthy. One  expresses  the  principle,  the 
other  the  application.  Again  we  observe 
this  word  "  knowledge  "  as  a  characteristic 
expression  of  the  Apostle  in  these  prison- 

130 


Love  and  Discernment 

epistles.  "  Full  knowledge  "  (Greek)  is  one 
of  the  marks  of  a  growing  Christian  life,  and 
is  proved  by  spiritual  perception,  spiritual 
feeling,  spiritual  discernment.  There  is  a 
world  of  difference  between  intellectual 
ability  and  spiritual  insight.  Many  people 
are  clever,  but  not  spiritual,  while  many 
people  are  often  truly  spiritual  without  being 
possessed  of  much  intellectual  capacity. 
Much  is  said  in  Scripture  about  sight  in 
regard  to  things  spiritual.  "  Except  a  man 
be  born  again,  he  cannot  see  "  (John  iii.  3). 
"  Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart,  for  they  shall 
see  God"  (Matt.  v.  8).  There  are  many 
people  in  our  congregations  of  average  in- 
tellect, and  perhaps  with  mental  powers 
decidedly  below  the  average,  who  are 
nevertheless  full  of  profound  spiritual 
wisdom  because  love  to  Christ  has  given 
them  keenness  of  vision  and  depth  of 
insight. 

2.  The  Immediate  Purpose. 

This  constant  progress  and  abundance  of 
love  was  intended  for  a  very  practical  pur- 
131 


The  Prayers  of  St.   Paul 

pose  ;  **  so  that  ye  may  approve  the  things 
that  are  excellent "  (ver.  lo,  R.V.). 
The  discernment  already  mentioned  was 
intended  for  spiritual  discrimination.  They 
were  to  be  enabled  to  distinguish,  to  prove, 
and  thereby  to  approve.  As  Lightfoot 
points  out,  "  love  imparts  a  sensitiveness  of 
touch,  a  keen  edge  to  the  discriminating 
faculty  in  things  moral  and  spiritual."  In 
things  spiritual  at  least  love  is  not  blind,  but 
keen-sighted.  It  is  endowed  with  a  spiritual 
discernment  which  is  able  to  distinguish  not 
only  between  good  and  bad,  but  between 
good  and  better,  between  better  and  best, 
and  between  best  and  excellent.  The  words, 
"approve  the  things  that  are  excellent," occur 
also  in  Rom.  ii.  i8,  and  the  meaning  seems  to 
be  first  that  they  were  to  "  distinguish  the 
things  that  differ,"  and  then  as  a  result  they 
were  to  "  approve  the  things  that  transcend." 
This  spiritual  discernment  is  particularly 
needful  to-day,  as  the  Christian  soul  is  sur- 
rounded by  so  many  views  and  voices.  Much 
that  appears  on  the  surface  to  be  attractive 
and  charming  contains  within  it  the  ele- 
132 


Love  and  Discernment 

ments  of  spiritual  danger  and  disaster,  and 
it  is  only  by  spiritual  discernment  which 
comes  from  abounding  and  increasing  love 
to  Christ  that  the  soul  is  safeguarded  against 
evil  and  led  to  approve  and  follov^  the  things 
that  are  superior.  It  is  a  vivid  picture  that 
the  prophet  gives  of  the  Messiah  when  he 
describes  Him  as  endowed  by  the  Spirit  of 
God  and  made  of  "  quick  scent  in  the  fear  of 
the  Lord  "  (Isa.  xi.  3,  Hebrew).  It  is  this 
"  quick  scent  "  that  by  the  same  Spirit  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  bestows  upon  those  who 
love  Him  with  all  the  heart. 

3.  The  Permanent  Result. 

Every  Christian  grace  is  intended  for 
practical  and  permanent  effect  in  character. 
Our  lives  are  not  to  be  intermittent,  but 
continuous  in  their  expression  of  grace  and 
blessing,  and  all  that  the  Apostle  has  been 
praying  for  and  desiring  on  behalf  of  his 
Philippian  Christians  was  intended  to  de- 
velop and  express  in  them  the  solid  and  per- 
manent realities  of  Christian  character. 

(i)  Sincerity  ;  "  that  ye  may  be  sincere  " 
133 


The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul 

(ver.  lo).  This  has  to  do  with  motives. 
The  word  is  thought  to  mean  "  tested  in 
the  sunlight."  Our  lives  are  to  be  mani- 
festly true,  genuine,  sincere,  "  transparent." 
"  Motive  makes  the  man,"  and  from  time  to 
time  it  is  essential  that  we  should  allow  our- 
selves to  be  tested  and  judged  in  the  sunHght 
of  our  perfect  fellowship  with  Christ,  just  as 
St.  Peter,  when  asked  by  his  Master,  said, 
"  Lord,  Thou  knowest  all  things."  Sin- 
cerity is  one  of  the  essential  features  of  the 
true  Christian  life.  The  believer,  if  he  is  to 
do  the  will  of  God  and  commend  the  Gospel 
to  others,  must  have  no  doubtful  arriere 
fensee  but  a  life  lived  moment  by  moment 
in  the  perfect  brightness  of  the  presence  of 
perfect  holiness. 

(2)  Consistency  ;  "  void  of  offence  "  (ver. 
10,  R.V.).  This  has  to  do  with  conduct. 
Not  only  are  we  to  be  inwardly  true,  but 
outwardly  sure.  Our  lives  must  not  hinder 
others,  or  put  a  stumbling-block  in  their 
way.  Just  as  the  Master  said,  "  Blessed  is 
he  whosoever  is  not  put  to  stumble  by  Me," 
so  must  it  be  with  every  follower  of  Christ. 
134 


Love  and  Discernment 

Our   lives    are   to   be   stepping-stones,    not 
stumbling-blocks. 

(3)  Character ;  "  being  filled  with  the 
fruits  of  righteousness."  This  has  to  do  with 
our  permanent  life  both  within  and  without, 
though  the  emphasis  is  on  being  rather  than 
on  doing.  Character  is  the  highest  point  and 
peak  of  the  Christian  life,  for  just  as  fruit  is 
the  outcome  of  the  life  of  a  tree,  so  character 
is  the  fruit  of  Christian  living,  and  is  the  best 
proof  of  its  existence.  The  Apostle's  word 
suggests  that  we  are  to  be  "  permanently- 
filled  "  (Greek)  with  the  fruits  of  righteous- 
ness, those  things  that  are  right,  straight, 
true,  correct,  upright,  without  any  deflection 
on  either  side.  The  Lord  Who  is  our  Right- 
eousness works  in  us  the  fruits  of  righteousness 
by  the  indwelling  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

4.  The  Ultimate  Object. 

The  Apostle  looks  forward  "  unto  the 
day  of  Christ "  (ver.  10,  R.V.),  and  then 
speaks  of  the  Christian  life  being  lived 
"  unto  the  glory  and  praise  of  God  "  (ver. 
11).  Everything  is  to  tend  towards  the 
135 


The  Prayers  of  St.   Paul 

manifestation  of  the  splendour  of  God  in 
human  Hfe  whereby  others  will  be  led  to 
acknowledge  and  praise  Him  (Matt.  v.  i6). 
And  this  will  reach  its  culminating  point 
in  the  ^'  day  of  Christ,"  that  time  when 
Christian  people  will  stand  before  their 
Master  and  receive  the  reward  of  their  life 
and  service  rendered  to  Him  (ch.  i.  6,  ii.  i6). 
This  was  the  Apostle's  constant  thought,  and 
towards  this  he  strained  every  nerve  (ch.  iii. 
11-21).  It  expresses  the  highest  ideal  of 
Christian  living,  for  day  by  day  we  are  to 
live  with  this  wonderful  thought  of  "  the 
glory  and  praise  of  God,"  and  day  by  day  we 
are  to  look  forward  to  the  coming  of  Christ  as 
that  day  in  which  our  life  will  find  its  fullest 
realisation,  its  complete  satisfaction,  and  its 
unending  joy.  And  all  this  reminds  us  of 
the  essential  simplicity  of  life,  for  there  is 
nothing  complex,  or  involved,  or  mysterious, 
or  difficult  in  a  life  lived  day  by  day  to  the 
praise  of  God  and  in  the  light  of  the  coming 
of  our  Master. 

As  we  review  this  prayer  we  may  feel  per- 
fectly sure  that  the  Apostle  meant  it  to  be 
136 


Love  and  Discernment 

answered,  and  indeed,  he  himself  gives  us 
the  hint  of  how  this  may  come  to  pass  when 
he  tells  us  that  the  fruits  of  righteousness 
are  "  through  Jesus  Christ."  This  is  only 
another  way  of  expressing  what  he  has  already 
shown,  his  confidence  that  the  possession  of 
the  Christian  life  is  the  guarantee  of  its  com- 
plete realisation  and  full  perfection  by  the 
indwelling  presence  and  work  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  Himself  (ch.  i.  6).  Let  us  there- 
fore take  heart  of  grace  as  we  contemplate 
this  prayer  and  the  other  prayers  of  the 
Apostle.  We  must  not  be  depressed,  or  dis- 
heartened, or  discouraged,  as  we  ponder  the 
marvellous  details  and  contemplate  the 
stupendous  heights  of  the  Christian  life  as 
depicted  by  St.  Paul's  wonderful  spiritual 
insight.  On  the  contrary,  we  must  remind 
ourselves  that  he  would  not  have  prayed 
these  prayers  unless  he  had  been  certain  that 
God  would  answer  them,  and  they  will 
assuredly  be  answered  as  we  set  ourselves 
resolutely,  humbly,  lovingly,  trustfully  to 
fulfil  the  required  conditions,  "  through 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord." 


APPENDIX. 

Considerations  of  space  have  prevented  the 
inclusion  of  all  the  Prayers  of  St.  Paul,  but 
for  the  treatment  of  the  prayer  in  Rom. 
XV.  13  reference  may  perhaps  be  permitted 
to  the  author's  Royal  and  Loyal  (ch.  v.)  and 
to  his  Devotional  Commentary  on  Romans 
(vol.  iii.  p.  103  ff.).  And  a  fuller  treat- 
ment of  2  Thess.  iii.  16  is  given  in  his  The 
Power  of  Peace, 

For  the  thorough  exegetical  foundation  of 
the  passages  included  in  these  prayers  of  the 
Apostle  special  attention  should  of  course  be 
given  to  the  various  modern  standard  Com- 
mentaries. The  following  have  proved  of 
particular  value  in  the  preparation  of  these 
pages.  On  Thessalonians  :  Milligan,  Frame, 
Eadie,  and  EUicott.  On  Romans  ;  Sanday 
and  Headlam,  Godet,  and  the  Notes  by 
Lightfoot.    On  Ephesians ;  Armitage  Robin- 

139 


Appendix 

son,  Westcott,  and  Eadie.  On  Philippians : 
Lightfoot  and  Ellicott.  On  Colossians  : 
Lightfoot  and  Ellicott.  Preachers  will  find 
it  nothing  short  of  an  education  in  Greek  to 
ponder  the  passages  under  the  guidance  of 
these  master-minds.  The  first  step  in  all 
true  expository  preaching  is  the  consideration 
of  the  words  and  phrases  in  order  to  elicit 
their  full  exegetical  value.  Following  this, 
and  based  upon  it,  will  come  the  spiritual 
teaching  and  personal  application,  and  for 
this  purpose  the  following  books  will  be  found 
of  great  value.  On  Thessalonians :  Denney  in 
the  Expositor's  Bible,  On  Romans :  Bishop 
Moule  in  the  same  series.  On  Ephesians :  G. 
G.  Findlay  in  the  Expositor'' s  Bible,  with  R.  W. 
Dale's  well-known  Lectures.  On  Philippians : 
Rainy  in  the  Expositor's  Bible,  and  Jowett's 
The  High  Calling,  On  Colossians  :  Mac- 
laren's  peerless  treatment  in  the  Expositor's 
Bible,  with  Bishop  Moule's  Colossian  Studies, 
and  a  useful  American  work,  Oneness  with 
Christy  by  Bishop  Nicholson.  The  subject 
of  this  book  is  definitely  treated  in  The 
Prayers  of  St.  Paul,  by  W.  B.  Pope,  D.D. ; 
140 


Appendix 

^he  Pattern  Prayer  Book,  by  E.  W.  Moore ; 
Preces  Paulince,  a  valuable  old  book  by  an 
anonymous  author,  which  is  now  only 
obtainable  second-hand. 

On  the  general  subject  of  Prayer,  which 
will  naturally  be  given  attention  in  the 
expository  preaching  and  teaching  on  this 
special  topic  of  St.  Paul's  petitions,  the 
following  among  other  books  may  perhaps 
be  mentioned  :  Waiting  on  God,  by  Andrew 
Murray;  7 he  Hidden  Life  of  Prayer,  by 
D.  M.  M'Intyre  ;  Prayer,  by  M'Conkey ; 
Praying  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  by  G.  H.  C. 
Macgregor  ;  Quiet  Talks  on  Prayer,  by  S.  D. 
Gordon ;  and  Prayer :  Its  Nature  and 
Scope,  by  H.  C.  Trumbull. 


141 


INDEX 


.*.  SCRIPTURE  PASSAGES 


PAGE 

Gen.  xviii.  19        • 

.       103 

Deut.  iv.  20  . 

.      102 

Isa.  xi.  3       . 

.      133 

„    xliii.  21 .        . 

.      102 

Ps.  xxxii.  8   . 

6 

„  xxxvii.  23 

6,  103 

„  Ivii.  7      . 

„  cviii.  I    . 

II 

„  cxii.  7      . 

II 

„  cxlix.  4   . 

103 

Matt.  V.  8     . 

131 

,,      V.  16  . 

.     136 

Luke  xviii.  II-13  . 

.    "3 

John  iii.  3     . 

^3i 

„     xiii.  34.        . 

8 

„     xiv.  15  . 

.     129 

„     xvu.  3  . 

,      66 

„     xvu.  19          . 

.      19 

„     xxi.  16.         . 

129 

Acts  vii.  2     . 

►      94 

„    yii.  60  . 

"3 

„    IX.  40    .        . 

"3 

„    XI.  23    . 

59 

„    XX.  36  . 

"3 

Rom.  i.  4      . 

104 

„     i.  16    .        . 

104 

„     iii.  23  . 

95 

„      V.  I       . 

22 

„      V.  2       .           . 

•      95 

„     vi.  4    . 

94 

„     vii.  22. 

117 

„     XV.  7   . 

95 

I  Cor.  i.  iS  • 

PAGE 
104 

„      u.  8    .        . 

.      94 

„     V.  20  . 

.     103 

„      vi.  II  . 

35 

2  Cor.  iii.  17,  18   . 

117 

„       iv.  16 

117 

Eph.  i.  1-14. 

92,96 

,,     i.  15-19        . 

91 

M     m.  14   . 

94 

„    iii.  14-19      . 

III 

„      IV.   I       . 

64 

»     iv.  3     .        . 

82 

„     VI.  12   . 

76 

„   v:.  22  . 

81 

Phil.  i.  9-1 1. 

127 

n     i.  27      . 

64 

„    iii.  lb  . 

66 

„    iv.  7-9 . 

22 

„    iv.  14-18 

128 

Col.  i.  3-6     . 

58 

„    i.  9-12  . 

57 

M    i.  15      . 

87 

„     i.  18-20 

87 

„    i.  20      . 

22 

»    1:27      .        . 

87 

„    ii.  I,  2  .        . 

75 

it    ".  3       . 

87 

„     iv.  12    . 

76 

I  Thess.  i.  5 . 

85 

„       ii.  2 

.^5 

„       ii.  12 

3^  64 

ui.  9 


35 


143 


Index 


13 


1  Thess.  Hi.  11 

»       iv.  7 
M       V.  23,  24 

2  Thess.  i.  10 

„        i.  II,  12 
„       ii.  14 
„       ii.  17 
„       111.  16 

1  Tim.  vi.  12 

2  Tim.  iv.  7  , 


FAGB 

3 

31 

17,  31 

103 

29 

31 
81 

41 
76 
76 


Heb.  vi.  II  . 

:  11 

„  X.  22  . 

„  xiu.  9  . 

II 

I  Pet.  i.  22  . 

.  129 

»   iii.  7  . 
2  Pet.  i.  7   . 

.   77 

8 

I  John  ii.  12-14 

60,98 

„   ii.  20. 

.   99 

„   V.  20. 

.   99 

B,  TOPICS 


Advent,  Second,  24,  30,  136. 
Aspiration,  33. 
Assurance,  84  f.,  137. 
Brotherly  love,  8,  51,  83,  120, 

128. 
Called  of  God,  31,  100. 
Character,  133. 
Christ,  Deity  of,  5,  87. 
Conscience,  peace  of,  50. 
Devotion,  need  of,  70. 
Endurance,  46,  66. 
Faithfulness,  Divine,  25. 
Family  life,  114. 
Glory  of  God,  94. 
Grace,  35  f. 
Heart,   in  Scripture,   4»,   81, 

99.  117. 
HoHness,  10,  18. 
Joy,  Christian,  67. 
Knowledge,  spiritual,  60  f.,  84, 

86,  97  f,  121,  131. 
Leading,  Divine,  6,  48. 
Love,  God's,  to  U5,  43,  119. 


Love,  our,  to  Him,  44,  129. 
Ministry,  the  Apostolic,  112. 
Others,  concern  for,  58. 
Patience  of  Christ,  45. 
Peace,  22  f.,  52  f. 
Fecu/ium,  God's,  I02, 
Persecution,  30. 
Power,  Divine,  104. 
Prayer,  practical  value  of,  17, 

57,  75. 
Prayer,  a  thing  of  labour,  76. 

„        for  others,  79,  127  f. 

,,        sympathetic,  80. 
Preservation,  Divine,  19  f.  50. 
Rever-nce,  113. 
Sincerity,  134. 

Spirit,  the  Divine,  49,  96,  116. 
Trinity,  the,  92. 
Unity,  spiritual,  82. 
Walk,  the  Christian,  64. 
Weathercock,  Spurgeon's,  44. 
Word,  importance  of  the,  49. 
Worthy,  counted,  32, 


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